The Other Sparrow
by Dawnie-7
Summary: Ever have the pain of a younger sister that wouldn't leave you alone? So did Jack. Unfortunately for him, Will has stumbled into said sister while looking for Jack. Set during DMC.
1. Looking For Jack

**A/N: Hello all. I'm back and hopefully with something decent enough to get somebody's attention. It's notthe mostoriginal idea , in fact,but a CLASSIC one,and I just couldn't help it.But to be honest,I'mreally only writing it for one scene that I wanted to write at the end, and it would have been out of place just to do a one shot, so...bear with me. Constructive critism definitely wanted, and most likely needed, but don't be too harsh :)**

**Disclaimer: No, don't own it. If I had an ounce of ownership to Jack Sparrow don't you think I'd be locked away in my room right about now? And help with the script came **

_Jack Sparrow _

How could one man possibly cause so much trouble?

Although Will already knew that the answer to the question lied directly in the source of the question, he still couldn't help but ask himself anyway. Two days he had been searching. Searching for Jack, searching for anyone who could lead him to Jack, or anyone who could at least lead him to a place that in itself would lead him to Jack.

It had become blatantly obvious that Jack was more of a phenomenon than Will had realized. People talked of him like he was a myth, as if they weren't sure if he were real or not.

_Captain Jack Sparrow? Hadn't been thought about, heard he was dead._

_Singapore, that's what I heard. Drunk, with a smile. Sure as a tide, Jack Sparrow, turned up in Singapore. _

And don't even remind him of the encounter with Scarlett and Giselle. The side of his face still burned red with the message he was to _deliever_ when he finally caught up with Jack.

Will finally decided it was time for a break in his little man hunt. He spotted a barrel leaning against the side of what appeared to be one of the many taverns in the sweet, proliferous bouquet that was Tortuga. As he took a seat he realized just how tired he was, and slowly started to lose focus on the many going on's that surrounded him. The fights that broke out everywhere and anywhere you looked, the scantily clad woman who bared almost everything they own, hiding just enough to keep the men, their hopeful business for the night, wanting more. And more importantly, the lone sailor that had just stumbled out of the tavern.

Will let out a sigh. "Where are you Sparrow?" he mumbled to himself. But it was this question that caught the attention of the aforementioned sailor.

"Sparrow? _Jack_ Sparrow!"

Will's head whipped in the direction of the voice, thinking he had finally found a lead, but the sight that met his eyes was one that almost caused him to fall over where he sat.

**A/N2: It's shamefully short, I know, but it's really just a prologue. I'll be posting the real first chapter in a few hours, as soon as I get it edited to the way I want it. I don't know how long this story will be, or how long it'll take me to post it all. I've written 5 chapters so far, and I'm hoping to post every other day, or something like that. Again, any help, ideas would be greatly appreciated.**


	2. Not Jack, His Sister

**Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own nothing. Still spending my nights alone.**

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After doing a double take to make sure he wasn't seeing things, Will took a long look at the sailor standing in front of him, and still couldn't believe he was seeing what he was seeing. Said sailor was actually a woman, maybe a little older than himself. But that wasn't the odd part. No, the odd part was the fact that if he didn't know any better, he would have sworn he was looking at Jack! The woman had the same black, tangled mess of hair with all kinds of weird things tied in (complete with a red bandana), the same dark brown eyes, what looked like maybe hand me down cloths of Jack's, and she even had the black kohl smeared around her eyes. The only thing that seemed to be missing was the facial hair, and obviously, _hopefully_, a body part or two underneath the cloths. She was truly a sight to be seen. Finally Will couldn't take it anymore, he had to find out who this woman was.

"Wh...who are you?" he stammered out uncertainly.

The woman in turn looked him up and down before answering him. "Helena. Helena _Sparrow_, to be exact!" she put extra emphasis on the Sparrow part.

_'My god!'_ Will thought. _'She even sounds like him! She has the same deep, gravely voice, as much as a woman could that is. This is just too weird.'_ "Sparrow? Do you know Jack?"

"Know 'im? E's my brother!"

"You're brother! Wait, what? Are you telling me you're Jack Sparrow's sister!" This was just too much for Will to comprehend.

"Aye. And who, exactly, are you?" Will didn't miss the sudden suspision in the woman's voice.

"Will Turner. I'm an acquaintance of Jack."

"Ah, well then, tis a pleasure Mr. Turner." At this, Helena stuck out a hand. Noticing that the man who introduced himself as Will wasn't making an effort to shake her hand, she drew it back awkwardly and let it dangle at her side. "Soo...you're looking for Jack eh? Why?"

Will was a little hesitant at first to tell her everything, but figuring if she was indeed Jack's sister, she surely would be able to help him find Jack. But still, he didn't want to broadcast to all of Tortuga his business. So he decided then that he really had no choice but to trust this woman. He sighed once again. "Is there any place where we could talk with a little more privacy?"

Helena looked to be in deep thought for a moment, then suddenly looked Will in the eye and gestured for him to follow her. She led him down a few alley ways, around the docks until they came upon a secluded part of the shores of Tortuga. The whole time Will kept a sharp eye on her, making sure she wasn't trying to pull any funny business, and couldn't help but notice that not only does she look and talk like him, but she even walked like him! Same swagger and all. Well, not exactly the same, her's was a little more clumsy, like she was trying too hard. Whereas Jack's was more natural. It was all so absurd that he almost wanted to laugh. So distracted he was by this thought that he didn't even realize that she had stopped walking.

"Private enough for ye?"

"Yes."

Helena clapped her hands together. "Good. Now, once again, why are you looking for Jack?"

Will took a deep breath, trying to figure out how best to put it. "Well, to make a long story short, Jack has a compass that I need in order to save my fiance and myself from the hangman's noose." He figured that would about sum it up.

Helena furrowed her eyebrows. "Compass. You don't mean that one that doesn't point north do ye?" She never did know what was so special about that thing, Jack would never tell her. In fact, Jack would never tell her a lot of things, and he never told her why!

"Yes, that one. So, do you know how I can find Jack?" Will asked hopefully.

Helena raised her eyebrows, opened her mouth, and then closed it again and pursed her lips together. Finally she looked at Will again and answered him simply. "No."

"No?"

"Yes."

"Yes?"

She nodded.

"Yes you do know how to find him?"

"No."

Will took on a look of complete confusion while Helena tilted her head to the side. They both stared at each other for a few moments before Will took it upon himself to break the silence. "What!"

Helena squinted her eyes. "Hmmm?"

Will shook his head, as if it would it would clear it. He decided to repeat his question, maybe she was confused. Lord knew he was. "Do you or don't you know how to find Jack?" he said with a strained voice.

She in turn looked at him as if he were crazy. "No! How would I know how to find him, haven't seen him in over ten years!" she said with arms flailing at her sides.

"Why not?"

"He was stolen from me."

Will's now looked down right incredulous. "Stolen!"

"Aye" she replied in a somber tone. "Kidnapped, in the middle of the night."

It was now Will's turn to look at her like she was crazy. "Kidnapped?" She couldn't possibly be serious, could she?

"Mmmm. We were sharing a room here in Tortuga one night and when I woke up the next morning there was a note pinned to the wall with a dagger saying that Jack had been kidnapped and was now being forced to join some man's crew as a form of payment for a lost poker game." she paused for a moment as if she were trying to remember something, then suddenly snapped her fingers. "Barbossa! That was the bastard's name! Barbossa! He's the black hearted scoundrel who stole me Jack away from me. I tell ye, if I ever find that man, I'll kill 'im with me bare hands!" she finished with a look of the deepest form of hatred Will had ever seen.

He was truely at a loss for words. Life had been very cruel to him the past few days. First, his wedding had been interrupted and ruined, then he was forced to make a deal with the devil himself, then he had to search the seas for a man who appeared to not want to be found, and now he was stuck with some mad woman who actually believed that Barbossa had kidnapped her brother and forced him to serve on his ship. He honestly didn't know what to make of the whole thing. Again his thoughts were interrupted by his newly acquired acquaintance, who was waving a hand in front of his face.

"Ye alright mate?" she asked with a weary look on her face.

Will just stared at her for a moment before finding his voice once more. "I'm not sure."

"Oh well, if you don't mind I have a business proposition for you." she said matter of factly.

"A business proposition?"

"Yes. You help me find Jack and I'll help you find Jack. What say you to that eh?"

He was just about to question her logic when he remember the confusion they exchanged the last time, and he was in no mood to go through that again. So, against his better judgement, he decided it wouldn't exactly hurt to have as much help as he could get. Even if he wasn't sure how capable she could actually be, anything had to be better than nothing, right?

_'Well, here goes nothing.'_ Will stuck out his hand. "Agreed."

"Agreed." Helena shook his hand with a smirk on her face and a gleam in her eye that, again, looked very similar to something you would see on Jack.


	3. Cannibal Island

**Disclaimer: Need you ask?**

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_Can't say about Jack Sparrow, but this island just south of the straits where I trade spice for... delicious, long pork. Cannot say about Jack. But you'll find that ship there. A ship with black sails._

That was it. That was what they were looking for and the reason they were now currently on a small French ship looking for a beach that supposedly had the Black Pearl and, hopefully, Jack on it.

Seeing as how there was nothing else to do but wait, and none of the crew members of the ship besides the captain spoke a word of english, Will and Helena decided to pass the time by telling each other their stories. Helena told Will how she had spent the past twelve years trying to track down Jack, going from port to port trying to find any trace of him, and stopping by Tortuga every now and again, hoping he might return there. Will couldn't believe that in twelve years she never once ran into Jack, especially in Tortuga, but he had experience enough in life so far to know that indeed anything was possible.

In turn, Will told her of his adventure with Jack, leaving out a few choice details of course. He still couldn't figure out why she was convinced that Jack was kidnapped in the middle of the night, but, from the short time he had known her, he also figured that maybe he didn't want to know. Not yet anyways. The woman was...different, that was for sure. She was also very talkative. Which wouldn't have been so bad, if it wasn't for the fact that half the time she didn't make any sense. And for someone who appeared to be a pirate, she sure didn't seem to know very much about the lifestyle of one. But again, Will thought it best to save all these thoughts for another time. After all, there were more important matters at hand, like the island that was quickly coming into view.

Will and Helena were both standing by the railing when the captain came up to them and informed them that his brother would be taking them to shore. They quickly boarded themselves into the row boat and were soon joined by the sailor who would row them ashore.

After a few long minutes Helena leaned over to get a better look of the shore, or more specifically, the huge ship that was beached on the shore. "Huh. Nice ship. Wonder who it belongs to." she mumbled to herself thoughtfully. Will just looked at her.

It wasn't long after that the sailor stopped rowing the boat.

"What's wrong, the beach is right there?" Will asked the man, very confused at the sudden stop.

"Ne bougeais pas, c'set beaucoup trop dangereaux. "

It was now Helena's turn to reply. "Pardon?"

"Je ne pois, c'est trop dangereaux, j'avais le dit. "

Knowing that he didn't have time to argue with a man he couldn't even understand, Will gathered his stuff and made ready to jump off. Taking his lead, Helena did the same, with a little less grace. Instead of diving like Will, she more...tripped and fell. As they swam to shore, they could faintly hear the man's voice call a Bon Voyage after them.

Before long they had reached shore and were finally able to stand up. Helena stood in her place looking around the place while Will continued to call out Jack's name, and the names of the crew. When it was obvious that he wasn't going to get a answer, he decided it'd be best for them to split up so they could cover more ground.

"Alright, I'll go this way, and you go that way and if neither of us find anything we'll meet back here." Will was just about to walk off when Helena latched herself onto his arm. He was startled at first, then he looked down to see her wide eyes staring back at him.

"Why are you leaving me?" It was the first time he had seen her without a confident look on her face. Now she was looking down right scared.

"I'm..I'm not leaving you. We're just going separate ways."

"Why!"

"So we ca..." he had to loosen her hold on his arm before she cut off the blood circulation. He was just barely able to pry her fingers off of him. "So we can cover more ground."

"I don't want to be alone!" she said in a whisper. "This place gives me the willies." she added to her point by shifting her eyes back and forth over the area.

_'Oh lord.'_ Will let out a sigh. "Ok look, why don't you stay here, guard the ship, and if anything should happen, just, yell for me, alright?"

Helena still wasn't thrilled with the idea, but it was better than having to go through the jungle by herself. "Alright. I'll just...stay 'ere. Guard the ship." she said with a nod.

"Good." and with that, Will was off.

As she watched him walk off towards the unknown, Helena quickly scanned the area once more. Her eyes landed on a big rock that caused a smile to tug on her lips. She walked over and picked it and cradled it to her as if it were a baby.

"Just in case."


	4. Pintel & Ragetti

**Disclaimer: Disney has yet to return my calls, therefore I still own nothing. But it's just a matter of time now, I'm sure of it. And, off topic, but yay for me, my mama came home for the hospital last night and is doing well!**

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It had been quite some time since Will had left Helena sitting on the beach. She had to admit, she was starting to worry, but not enough to go looking for him. No no, she wasn't _that _worried. Over her dead body would she go gallivanting off through some jungle, with no idea as to where she was going, all by herself and nothing to protect herself with but a sword that she didn't even know how to use! It was just for looks! 

She was thinking of maybe calling out for him and see it he came, but was suddenly distracted by a bird flying overhead. She followed it as it landed on the railing of the Black Pearl. It was blue and appeared to be some kind of parrot. she stared at it for some time, admiring how pretty it was before deciding to say something. It's not exactly like she had anybody else to talk to.

"'Ello." she said plainly.

"Awk, don't eat me!"

Helena stumbled back and her eyes went wide in surprise. "That was unexpected..." she mumbled to herself again. She looked back to the bird who seemed to be pacing back and forth on the railing.

Helena slowly walked a little closer to the ship. Then she somewhat raised her hands towards the bird, so she wouldn't scare it off. "Don't...worry...lil...fella. I'm...not...gonna...eat...ya...savvy?" she was about to go on some more when she heard the distinct sound of a dog barking.

She whirled around and sure enough, there was a dog swimming to the shore, and behind it, a small row boat with two very dishelved pirates being flipped over by a small wave.

"Wha th..." Boy how she wished she would have gone off with Will now.

The two pirates eventually made it to shore and didn't even seem to notice her, walking right past her in fact and taking extreme interest in the ship. They were giggling with glee and talking amongst themselves.

"Tide's coming in, that should help. Salvaging is saving, in a manner of speaking." said the tall lanky one.

"There's the truth of it!" that was the shorter, plump one.

Helena had no clue who they were, but there was one thing she was certain of. She was to guard the ship, and Will never said anything about anybody coming to help. So, pulling up her breeches just a little, straightening her bandana, and putting on a stern face, she marched right up to the two.

_'Time to show who's boss.'_ "Hey!" she boomed in the most commanding voice she could muster.

The two strangers jumped and turned around ready to make a quick apology. "Sor...sorry Capt...ohhhhhh." Pintel trailed off when he saw who he was talking to. He and Ragetti exchanged looks. They could have sworn it was someone else.

Helena watched smugly as the two went back and forth from staring at her to staring at each other. She always knew she could be an intimidating figure when she wanted to be, but even she was impressed with herself. She had, after all, stunned them silent. She couldn't wait to tell Will what a fine job she had done.

Pintel finally looked at her square in the eye. This caught her attention. She straightened up a little more and waited for the words she could see trying to escape his mouth. They came in a very blunt form. "You're not Captain Jack."

She replied just as bluntly. "No."

More silence. It was Ragetti who figured out what needed to be said next. "Who are you?"

"Helena Sparrow."

"Sparrow!" the two men said to each other in union, then looked back at her. "...any relation?" Ragetti asked?

"Sister."

"And wha' are you doin' here?" Pintel demanded.

"Lookin' for Jack." she told him in a tone that suggested he should already have known that.

"You mean, 'es not here?" Pintel suddenly became very interested.

Helena gulped just a little. Jack always told her she had a bad habit of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. "Ummm...possibly." she said with uncertainly.

Pintel and Ragetti again looked at each other and each let out a rumble of laughter and continued to prepare the ship to make way.

Helena was stunned. "Wha...wait...'ey wait! You can't do that!" This was not good. Here she was left in charge of watching over the ship and these two pin heads were stealing it right in front of her! She continued to run after them screaming at the top of her lungs. "THIS IS NOT YOUR SHIP YOU 'AVE NO RIGHT TO TOUCH IT! I'M IN CHARGE 'ERE AND WHAT I SAY GO.."

She was cut off by the sounds of beating drums coming from up on the mountain. It was a deep, haunting boom that sent a chill to all their bones.

"Suppose we'd better save it as soon as we can. What with us in such a vulnerable state, 'an all." Ragetti all but whispered.

Pintel crossed himself twice with an 'Amen to that'.

"I'll help." and with that, Helena followed the two over to the Pearl.


	5. Time To Go

**Disclaimer:** Those people at Disney are hard to persuade. Damn. And BTW, thanks to all my lovely reviewers, my old pals and the new group who has joined. Drinks for everyone!

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Although she didn't have a clue when it came to work involving a ship, the two men, that she came to find out were named Pintel and Ragetti, sure did and she had to admit, they were making incredible time. Good thing too, because the sound of the beating drums had stopped not too long ago, and they weren't sure if that was a good thing or bad thing, but hopefully they wouldn't have to wait around to see.

She looked on as the two fussed with different ropes and listened to Pintel continuously yell at Ragetti, who was up on deck. She didn't think it was very nice the way Pintel treated his mate, but then again, Ragetti didn't seem to mind too much.

"Pull loose the mooring line. The mooring line!"

Helena was just on the verge of asking what a mooring line was, for future reference, when she noticed some hairy thing about to jump onto Ragetti's back. "Ohhh! Behin..." _oops, too late. _"You."

"Hey! Little hairy thing. Give it back!"

Turned out said hairy thing was actually a monkey, where the hell the monkey came from was beyond her. But the little thing was now in the middle of stealing Ragetti's eye, which wasn't making him very happy, considering he was now on his hands and knees crawling after it, begging it not to bite his eye, which in turn made Pintel down on shore not happy that they were being delayed in getting the ship out onto the water. If she wasn't so afraid the of the place, she may even have laughed at the whole speculation.

Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she saw another man, an older looking man, a very panicked looking man, run up to Pintel.

"Excellent! Our work's half done!" he said while patting him on the back.

Pintel looked a little taken aback for a moment, but quickly recovered. " Oh! We done it for you! Knew you'd be coming back for it."

"Make ready to sail, boys!"

_'Boys? They never mentioned anyone else coming'_ Helena thought. But then she turned around and seen a whole group of men running to the ship as well. Who the bloody hell were all these guys? And where the bloody hell were they coming from! But finally a familiar face came into view, one that Helena was very grateful to see.

"Oi! Will! What 'appened? Where's Jack? And who are all these people?" but Will didn't seem to have any time to answer her questions. _'How rude.'_

Instead he went up to the older guy. "What about Jack? I won't leave without him."

Just then they heard a yell coming from down they beach. Everyone's head turned to see Jack coming running around the corner. Helena couldn't believe it! There he was, alive and in the flesh! She was so happy in that moment to see her brother once again that she was ready to start running towards him herself, that is, until, the wild group of cannibals that appeared to be chasing him came into view. This sight changed her mind. Being that she herself had never been in such a situation before, she turned to Will hoping for advice.

Will seemed to have gone very pale, but indeed have a plan. "Time to go." Yup, she could go with that.

"Cast off those lines!"

"Make ready to cast off!"

As everyone was getting themselves on the ship, Jack was getting closer and closer...and so were the mob of people trailing him. Helena almost wanted to stay on shore, just so she could greet him should he reach the ship in time, but, let's face facts, that was one angry group of people, and if she didn't know any better, she would say that they looked a bit...hungry, as well.

Jack ran past the dog with a 'good doggy' and all but dove into the water, swimming a bit to the ship and finally clinging to a net. The cannibals had given up and stayed on shore, looking very put out on their loss.

Once assured that he was safe, Jack turned to say his farewell. "Alas, my children, this is the day you shall always remember as the day that you almost..." just then a giant wave crashed into him from behind, soaking him from head to toe, (Helena would have to remember to get him some kind of blanket once everyone was settled, he was likely to be cold now.) and he seemed to lose interest in the goodbye he was in the middle of and half heartedly finished with a mumbled "Captain Jack Sparrow."

"Let's put some distance between us and this island and head out to open sea." said the older man.

"Yes to the first, yes to the second, but only as so far as we keep to the shallows as much as possible." Jack declared as Pintel and Ragetti came to him and draped his coat over his shoulders. Seemingly surprised, Jack glanced at the two, almost as if asking what they were doing there, when Pintel saluted him and walked off without saying a word.

"Now, that seems a bit contradictory, Captain."

Jack turned his attention back to the older man. "I have every faith in your reconciliatory navigational skills, Master Gibbs." _Ah, so that was his name!_ "Now, where is that monkey? I want to shoot something." As if on cue, the wooden eye that the monkey had previously taken a hold of dropped if front of them, which made Ragetti very happy to have back.

Now that things had settled down a bit, Helena was just about to make herself known to Jack, since he hadn't seemed to take notice yet, when Will beat her to the punch. _'Dammit.'_

"Jack."

"Ah." Funny, he didn't seem very thrilled to be in Will's company.

"Elizabeth is in danger."

Jack started to walk away, while keeping a close eye on the monkey. "Have you considered keeping a more watchful eye on her. Maybe just lock her up somewhere?"

Will followed him, as Helena silently tagged along as they climbed up the stairs to the helm. "She is locked up in a prison, bound to hang for helping you."

"There comes a time when one must take responsibility for one's mistakes." Jack said with a mere shrug of the shoulders.

Apparently, Will had had enough of Jack's apparent feelings of indifference towards Elizabeth, for the next thing any of them knew, he had grabbed a sword off a passing sailor and held it to Jack's throat. "I need that compass of yours, Jack. I must trade it for her freedom."

Jack sighed and pushed the sword away. "Mr. Gibbs?"

Gibbs ran over. "Captain?"

"We have a need to travel upriver."

"By need, do you, mean a trifling need, fleeting, as in, say, a passing fancy?"

Jack leaned in a little closer. "No, a resolute and unyielding need." That seemed to make Gibbs a bit worried.

"What we need to do is make sail for Port Royal with all haste."

Jack looked like he was getting a bit annoyed, and Helena couldn't blame him, even she had to say Will was getting a bit pushy. "William... I shall trade you the compass, if you will help me..." he stopped to take out what looked to be a drawing of something "to find this."

Will looked a little weary. "You want me to find this. "

" No. You want you to find this. Because the finding of this, finds you incapacitorially finding and/or locating in your discovering the detecting of a way to save your dolly belle ol' what's her face. Savvy?" Jack explained convincingly.

Will took the cloth. "This is going to save Elizabeth."

Jack glanced over at Will. "How much do you know about Davy Jones?"

"Not much."

"Yeah, it's going to save Elizabeth." Jack chimed happily.

Will just nodded. Then off handly, "By the way, I found something that belongs to you."

"What's that?" Jack asked bored tone.

"That." Will motioned behind them. Jack turned around and, sure as day, there she was, staring back at him with a bit of a smile and a wave.

Jack, on the other hand, looked as if he was about to faint. "Oh bugger."


	6. Jack's Tale of Deceit

**A/N:** Just real quick, I know everyone was expecting some big scenes between Jack and Helena for this chapter, and that's what I had planned on doing, but then I figured considering what he reveals to Will later on, he'd much rather get away from her as soon as possible. That's why the chapter is mainly Jack telling Will about their history. Hope it all doesn't disappoint anybody. And don't forget, any suggestions are gladly welcomed!

**Disclaimer:** Still nothing, just a few Jack blankets to keep me company at night. Suppose that'll do for now.

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Nothing had even happened yet, unless an unofficial staring contest counts, and yet Will still couldn't help but be amused. He had never seen, or more never thought it possible for Jack Sparrow to be completely and utterly speechless. At the moment he held the resemblance that of a fish, eyes wide with fear and mouth rapidly opening and closing, trying desperately to come up with something to say, other than the 'oh bugger' from moments before. And then there was Helena, grinning from ear to ear and slightly bouncing from one foot to the other like she was about to burst.

And then it happened.

Helena exploded from her spot, running to Jack and launching herself on him, arms wrapped around his neck and legs wrapped around his waist, holding onto him tightly, as if she thought that by letting go he might disappear. The force of her _attack_ nearly knocked him over, and they both would have been on the floor if Jack hadn't bumped into the railing first, and even then Will was surprised they both didn't go overboard.

Jack, on the other hand, was not in the least bit amused. Not only could he not breathe, the bloody woman was crushing him and depriving him of any air he would have gotten, but Helena was the last person on earth he wanted to see. Well, no, scratch that. _Davy Jones_ was the last person on earth wanted to see. But Helena was definitely up there on the list.

_'Thought I got rid of her years ago!'_

ButHelena was just as happy as could be. "Mother's love Jack! I can't believe it's actually you! Do you 'ave any idea 'ow long I've been tryin' ta find you!" she practically screamed in his ear, making him wince.

Jack had to think quick. "I...I ...know, luv. I've 'eard all about it from...around. Different ports I've been to, telling me 'bout a young lass looking for me." Jack stopped there, hoping that would be enough explanation for her. Luckily, she seemed to be content with it. Now, if he could just get her off of him...

"Helena..._luv_."

"Yes?"

"As much as I'm enjoying seeing your..._lovely face_...again, it's been a difficult day, and you're cutting off me air."

"Oh! Apologies." Helena got the message loud and clear and quickly let go of Jack , not wanting to cause him any harm. "So... what 'ave you been up to ye ol' devil?" Helena nudged him in the ribs with a smirk on her face.

Jack tried not to roll his eyes and gave a tight lipped smile. "Not much."

Helena looked a little outraged by this. "Not much! Are ye nuts? That's not what Will said."

Jack's eyes widened once again. "An' what, exactly, did young William tell you?" Will didn't miss the slight glare he received from Jack as he said this.

"Well not too much. Just a little about 'ow he and his finance, Elizabeth was it?" she directed at Will but continued before he even had a chance to answer. "How he and Elizabeth helped you defeat Barbossa" she said his name with a bit of a growl and a sneer to match. " and break some curse, that's about it." She leaned in a little closer to Jack so no one else would hear. "Not much of a talker that one."

Jack let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. He turned to Will and made a slight praying hands motion as a silent thank you and then quickly turned back to Helena. ''Aye, not much of a talker at all. He's afraid..." he lowered his voice to a whisper. "..._it_...will come out in his speech."

Helena looked at him confused, as did Will. Helena got over it first though. "_What_ will?" she asked just as quietly.

Jack motioned for her to come closer, then closer, then closer until they were almost touching noses. "E's a eunuch." he made a snip snip sign for extra effect. "Doesn't want anyone to know."

Helena made a sour face and then looked over at Will. Then she furrowed her brows and looked back to Jack. "Ah. I see...poor Elizabeth." she looked over at Will once again with a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry."

Will just huffed and rolled his eyes. "I am **NOT** a.."

"Will!" Jack interrupted before he could any farther. "I believe you and I need to have a discussion and go over a few things about this rescue mission for dear Elizabeth...in my cabin...**now**!" he gave Will a look that clearly stated not to question him. "And Helena luv, why don't you go down below and find yourself something to eat."

Helena looked a little put out, but quickly covered it with a smile. "Aye, but once you two are done, you and I are gonna have a nice, big, long talk! I 'ave a few questions for you, like 'ow you came by this ship, for one."

"Of course luv, all in good time. Now, off you go!" he waved her off with a flourish. She gave him one last hug and wondered off, eventually finding her way down to the galley. As soon as he knew she was out of sight, and before Will could get a word out, Jack steered Will into the Captain's Cabin and quickly shut the door, making sure to lock it in the process.

"Jack, what is go.." before Will finish, Jack was upon him and had grabbed the collar of Will's shirt and yanked him towards his face.

_"Why.Did.You.Bring.Her.Here?"_ Jack hissed through clenched teeth.

To say the least, Will was not only taken aback, he was a bit frightened as well for a moment. Just like he had never seen Jack speechless, he had never seen Jack this angry either. Not even when he got to use his finally shot on Barbossa and had that look of bitter satisfaction on his face, no, this was another new side of Jack he didn't know existed. "I...she...I..." Will was so nervous at that moment he could barely get the words out. He took a deep breath. "I came across her in Tortuga while looking for you. She heard me mention your name and asked who I was, after I told her my name I asked who she was, and she claimed to be your sister. Then she asked me what business I had with you. When I told her I needed that compass of yours, she knew exactly what I was talking about. Then I asked her if she knew where you were or how I could find you, she said she hadn't seen you in twelve years. I thought it odd, but then she told me that you had been kidnapped by Barbossa because of a lost poker game and she hadn't seen you since. Then she said she'd help me find you if I helped _her_ find you." at this Jack stuck out his tongue in mild disgust. "I figured I could use all the help I could get, so I agreed...now will you please let me go?"

Jack seemed to consider this for a minute, then finally let Will go and walked over to his desk and sat down as if nothing had happened. Will took the seat across from him. They sat there in silence for a few moments before Will just couldn't take it any more.  
"Jack, why does she think that you were kidnapped by Barbossa and forced to serve under his command?"

"Tis a long story mate." Jack said with a sigh.

"It's not like we don't have the time." Will pointed out.

Jack glared at Will once more, and then sighed for what seemed like the millionth time that day. "Alright. I'll tell ye." Jack took a swig from a nearby bottle of rum before starting. "She is my younger sister, yes. By ten years to be exact. From the moment she was born she took ta me more than me mum and da. I was the only one who could keep 'er quite when she was throwin' a fit, an' I was usually the only one who could make 'er laugh. It was fine for a time, but then as she got older, she was always hanging around me, wantin' me ta play with 'er, read 'er stories. She followed me everywhere I went. She started dressin' like me, then talkin' like me, the bloody girl would never leave me alone. Always going on and on about how she idolized me and wanted ta be like her big brother. She was like me own shadow for christ's sake! So when I finally left home to pursue me life as a pirate, it was one of the happiest days of me life. I was doing what I loved most, and even better I was finally free of her. Come ta find out, the little minx had followed me! I swear Will, no matter what I did, where I went, she was always right there behind me, like she was tied to me bloody hip. For years and years this 'appened, and finally, one night, I just couldn't take it any more." Jack stopped for a moment to take another sip from the bottle of rum.

"So I started formin' my plan. I had just gotten the Pearl, but I didn't tell 'er anything about it. And everyday when she went to the market to do a little pick pocketing, I was busy gathering my crew. When everything was ready ta go, I spent the night doing everything like we always did. Had a drink at one of the local taverns, played a few games of cards, and finally called it a night and went to the room we were sharing. As soon as she was asleep, I wrote out a note claiming ta be Barbossa, and that I had kidnapped Jack, being me, and was forcing Jack, being me, ta serve on his ship due to a loss poker game. I pinned the note to the door, ruffled up me things to look like there had been a struggle, and fled through the night, never to return." With a huff, Jack finished his tell of deception.

Will took a moment to process all this information. He had to say, it was a bit overwhelming. "So, you mean to tell me, that you abandoned your own sister?" He knew Jack was very capable of doing some low things, but that quite well have been the lowest, in his mind.

"Ye don't understand mate! She was everywhere, all the time! I felt like I was suffocatin'! If I didn't do something she would 'ave been the death of me!" Jack was now flailing his arms all over the place.

Will decided he best let it go. There were plenty of things about Jack Sparrow he didn't, and would never understand, and this was obviously another thing to add to the list. He sighed. "But I still don't understand. She went from port to port for twelve years looking around from you, how is it she never came by anyone who could somehow lead her to you?"

"Everyone has a price Will. For the right one you can get anyone to lead a person in the wrong direction."

Will was still a bit confused. "But what about all the stories? Surely she must have heard of them, yet she has no idea that your a captain, or that this is your ship or anything from what I gathered."

Jack looked at Will as if the answer was obvious. "This is Helena we're talking about lad. Knowing 'er, she's probably 'eard all the stories and thinks they're just a bunch of rubbish. If you 'aven't noticed, she ain't the brightest candle on the wall."

And for the first time that day, Will couldn't argue.


	7. Maybe The Stories Are True

**A/N:** Okay, big, huge, enormous apologies! I know this was suppose to be the big chapter where Jack and Helena finally have their own sit down. But I am just having problem after problem. I had it all written out and it just didn't go the way I was hoping at all. So when I tried to rewrite it, my computer monitor started going goofy on me. Like it's seriously messing up, on the verge of going out completely it looks like. So I haven't had that much time to write, it'll only stay good for a few minutes at a time, and I've hit with a huge writer's block bunny, it's just a mess. But I wanted to put something up, even if it is a short couple of paragraphs, better than nothing eh? So here you are, just a little something from Helena's POV. Maybe the girl is starting to wise up!

**Disclaimer:** Zip, Zilch, Nada.

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It was very possible that Helena would have to barge into his cabin and drag him out herself if Jack didn't come out on his own accord soon. It had been a while since him and Will had disappeared behind the closed doors, and sure, she understood that they had some important things to discuss, but it shouldn't have taken that long! And she was running out of things to do.

First she had gone to the galley like Jack had instructed. She found an apple and a piece of bread and munched on that for a few minutes. Then she did a little exploring, but decided it best not to go too far on her own, she did have a tendency to easily get lost after all. When she headed back up on deck and seen that the two men weren't finished yet, she let out a little grunt and ended up strolling around a little more, talking to sailors here and there. It was funny, none of them seem to know about her. But the one who gave her the most food for thought was actually Gibbs. At first he started mumbling about woman being bad luck and all, but after a while he must have figured she was harmless, for he started to loosen up a bit more. And before she knew it, he was even telling her stories about Jack. Now this one someone that she could get along with!

He told all the facts and all the stories that he had come to gather about Jack. It was the stories that caught and held her interest the most though. He told her about the run in with the East Indian Trading Company, Nassau Port, being stranded on a deserted island and left to die, only to sail off it by strapping together two sea turtles using human hair...from his back. As entertaining as it was, she wasn't so sure about that one though. From what she could remember, Jack didn't have any hair on his back.

The rest of the stories were mostly about the mutiny, and such. Now Helena has heard all of these stories plenty of times. Everywhere she went in her twelve year search there was always someone talking about the many adventures of one Captain Jack Sparrow. Of course, she was the only one who knew the turth, knew that they were complete rubbish. Idiots, she would always think, they can't even get one story right. But that was before.

Now, she was just as confused as she claimed all those others to be. The past two days had taught her something. And that something was simply that the rest of the world seemed to have a very different out look on Jack than she did. Now if she could just figure out the why...well, then she would have a heading of her own now wouldn't she?


	8. Finally, The Sit Down

**A/N:** Okay, here you go guys. I just want to apologize real quick because there may be more mistakes or typos and such than usual, but I just wanted to get the chapter up before my screen goes out again. So enjoy!

**A/N2:** I'd also like to dedicate this chapter to PhantomFreak1215, seeing as how she was so disgusted with the last chapter :D

J/K. But still, here you go, I don't know if it's much more eventful or not, but definitely longer. So no complaints on that little missy!

**Disclaimer:** I think if we all rally together we might be able to pull some strings.

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After a little more talking and a few more drinks, Jack finally gave Will permission to leave, saying he'd be out in a few minutes. As soon as Will shut the doors Jack slumped down in his chair. What a mess things were turning into. As if things weren't going bad enough, bloody stupid Will had to go and bring his sister to him. Of all the people to run into, why her! Sure, part of him knew he should probably feel bad about abandoning her and such, but he didn't. She was just so bloody irritating! Like that damn monkey! And he knew she was out there right now, just waiting for the second his boots hit the deck to bombard him again, asking questions, meddling in his business.

_'Better have one more glass.'_ he thought and nodded to himself.

Ten minutes later he stepped out of his cabin and, just like he thought, there she was, waiting on the stairs leading up to the helm. As soon as she saw him she stood up, and proceeded to march over to him.

"Ehh." he mumbled to himself while sticking out his tongue.

Helena reached him and stopped right in front of him. "Jack." she said firmly, catching him a bit off guard.

"Eh?"

"We need ta talk." she said while looking him straight in the eye.

Funny, she didn't seem as happy as she did a little while ago, this of course made him a little cautious. "Alright. Talk."

She narrowed her eyes a bit. "In private."

Jack did the same. Already he wasn't liking the direction this seemed to be going. She had, after all, been on deck alone with his men for a while, no telling what she may have over heard. Especially if she had been talking to Gibbs. "As you wish." He opened the doors to his cabin once again and stepped back, allowing her to go in first, then followed in behind her. She took the seat that Will had been occupying not too long before, and Jack took his seat in front of the desk once again.

Neither said anything at first, just stared at each other like they had done earlier that day. Jack was annoyed already and decided if he didn't make the first move, they'd be there all day. "Some rum, by chance?" he gestured to the now half empty bottle.

Helena looked at the bottle with a mild grimace on her face. "Are you having any?" she asked, still keeping her eyes on the bottle as if it were going to attack her.

Jack sighed, he knew this scenario well. "Yes."

Helena nodded. "Count me in then."

_'Of course, you always do wha' I do! Copy cat. Ye don't even like the bloody stuff!'_ Jack huffed to himself quietly while pouring her a glass. Which was true, she actually hated the stuff and would always gag anytime she took a drink or even smelled it. But if big brother does it, of course she must follow.

Jack handed her the glass, and, just as he had predicted, she just barely got the sip down. He had to keep from rolling his eyes at the pathetic display. _'What a waste.'_ "So wha', exactly, is it you need, or should I say, want, ta discuss, hmm?"

Helena set the glass down on the desk and leaned back in her seat a little. She had a whole bunch of questions, and she wanted to be comfortable before she got started. _'Well, here goes nothing.'_ "Y'know Jack, I've 'eard a lot of stories over the years."

_'Ah, and so it begins.' _ Jack mused to himself with a slight, but hidden smirk. He knew exactly what she was doing, and he was ready for it. There was no way she'd beat him at this game.

"That so luv? Wha' kind of stories."

Helena absentmindedly waved a hand through the air. "Different kinds. Mainly about you though."

"And?"

"And, things just don't add up."

Jack put on a look of confusion. "Whatever do you mean?"

"Were you really kidnapped by Barbossa?" she questioned accuseningly.

_'Doesn't waste any time. Maybe she's wisen up some over the years. Doesn't matter, it's show time now.'_ Jack took his feet off the desk and sat up straight, and looked as if he had been insulted. "Of course I was! 'Ow could ye possibly think any different!"

But Helena wasn't going to give up that easy. "Then what's the deal with tha' story bout you being captain and Barbossa being your first mate, an' plannin' a mutiny against you, leavin' you on that' island?" she demanded.

_'So she did talk to Gibbs. I'll have to remember to have a little talk with Gibbs myself.'_ Jack shook his head in a 'tsk tsk' manner. "Ye see luv, that's why they call them stories, because there's not always truth to 'em. Barbossa did leave me on an island to die, yes. But there was no mutiny. See.." at this, Jack got up and started walking around the cabin, for added effect. "Life on board the ship, working under Barbossa was hell. 'E treated me like an animal, like a no good, low life piece of scum. 'Ad me do all 'is dirty work..." he came to a stop behind Helena and leaned down close to her ear. "Tortured me." he whispered. He caught a slight glimpse of Helena taking on a look of sympathy. _'Very Good.'_

"And ta tell ye the truth, I think he got some sick kind of entertainment out of it. So after a few months had passed, I guess he had finally got his use of me. One night, two of his crew members woke me up an' dragged me up on deck and stood me in front of the rotten hearted bastard. He said my time there was over, handed me a pistol, pointed to a small island in the distance, and threw me overboard." he finished by returning to his seat.

"And how did you get off that island?" Helena questioned.

"Well, all I know is, lady luck must 'ave been on me side. I was on that island for three days. The pain of bein' there, I'll never forget it." Just for good measure, Jack started to look off to the distance, as if his mind was being flooded with memories. "No food, the heat was unbearable. An' all I could think about the whole time was whether or not I'd ever see my lil' sister again." It took everything out of him to say that with a straight face. "Just when I thought I was a goner, I saw a small row boat comin' in with the tide. It was like a miracle! Like a gift from the heavens. So I hopped in, and set sail, and after a few more days, I had sailed into a small port."

Helena still wasn't sure what to think. There were still some things that didn't make sense. "What about Will? The story he told me about him and Elizabeth 'elping you defeat Barbossa?"

_'Now for the finale.'_ "Well, after I got to that port, an' got some food in me belly and cleared me head a bit, there was one thing on me mind..._revenge!_ I 'ad ta get revenge on Barbossa, not only for wha' he did to me an' put me through, but for also takin' me away from ya. So I started plannin'. And for eleven years I searched for him, and searched for you, but never came upon anything. I was beginin' ta lose hope, but then by chance, I find myself in Port Royal, where I meet young Mr. Turner who, fancy this, is also chasin' after Barbossa for kidnapping his bonney lass. We strike up a deal, join forces, commandeer a ship of the Royal Navy and set sail. Long story short, we find Barbossa, kill 'em, I take control over the ship... " he gestured around him. "And regained my search for you. An', imagine the odds, Will finds you and reunites us at last...it's like destiny!" Jack finished his tale with a golden grin.

Helena looked down at her lap in deep thought. Jack watched her closely, searching for any signs that she was convinced. He finally got one when she looked back up at him and smiled, her eyes slightly watered over. "I just can't believe it Jack. After so long we're finally here, together once again! All thanks to Will." she stood up and engulfed him in another bear hug.

_'I wish she would stop doing that!'_

Helena pulled back. "Not bad work for a eunuch eh?" she added a wink.

"Oh yes, yes. When Will steps up he really gets the job done. Taught him everything he knows you know!" Jack said with a fatherly pride tone to his voice.

Helena tilted her head to the side a little. "So, now that Will and Elizabeth are in danger for helping you, You're helpin' Will find this key that'll help save Elizabeth, right?"

Jack Smiled. _'She makes it so easy.'_ He held up a finger. "Correct.''

"Great! 'Ow do I help?"


	9. Mind The Boat

**A/N:** I know I know, a bit late. So so so sooooo sorry! But I have a good excuse! At first, it was just I was having a bit of writer's block, but then when it passed and I was ready to start typing, my monitor finally decided it was time to call it quits. So I've been without a monitor for a little over a week. But got a new one yesterday so here's the chapter. It's short and uneventful, so I'm going to put up two. The second will be up shortly. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** ...I own the new monitor!

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It took a while for Jack to get Helena fully convinced that she would indeed be a big help in the search for the mysterious key, but once he had her satisfied she finally went on her way, taking his advice that she should get more familiar with the ship so she would know her way around.

A while later she headed back up on deck when she felt the ship stop. The first thing that she noticed when she set foot on deck was that it was now dark out, then she seen the crew setting up two long boats. She saw that Jack was busy giving directions so she went over to Will to find out where they were going.

"Where are we goin'?"

Will jumped a little before turning around to find Helena right beside him. He hadn't even heard her come up. "I'm not sure. Up river somewhere."

Helena turned towards the direction Will was talking about and was meant by an intimidating sight that made her step a little closer to Will. Ahead of them was an dark, gloomy, overgrown swamp with all sorts of noises emitting from within, and a fog bank rolling through it.

Helena gulped a little. "In there?"

"Yes."

"Ah. I see."

There was nothing Helena wanted more at that moment than to go into Jack's cabin and hide under a table or behind a chair so she wouldn't have to go, but she'd be damned if she let anyone know how afraid she was. And she certainly wasn't going to let Jack think she was scared, so when he said there was no reason why she couldn't stay on the ship and help keep guard, she did her best to hold her head up and took a seat in one of the boats next to Will. She missed the roll of Jack's eyes when she did so.

Soon enough, they were rowing up stream into the swamp. Helena did her best to calm her nerves, but when she started seeing the snakes she had to turn away, or else she would have lost it. She didn't particularly like snakes. Or anything that crawled really. Instead, she tried to concentrate on the conversation Will had started with Gibbs.

"Why is Jack afraid of the open ocean?" he asked, and if Helena didn't know any better, she could have sworn she heard a trace of suspicion in his voice. _'He seems very untrusting.'_ she thought.

"Well, if you believe such things, there's a beast does the bidding of Davy Jones. A fearsome creature with giant tentacles that suction your face clean off and drag an entire ship down to the crushing darkness. The Kraken. They say the stench of its breath is... ooh." at this Gibbs gave a little shudder. "Imagine, the last thing you know on God's green earth is the roar of the Kraken and the reeking odor of a thousand rotting corpses. If you believe such things."

Helena felt her blood run cold. She had heard of that story, but never belived in it, or thought there was any ounce of truth to it. But there was no denying, it wa still a chilling tale, whether you believed it or not.

"And the key will spare him that?"

"Now that's the very question Jack wants answered. Bad enough even to go visit... _her_." Gibbs leaned in closer on the last part.

"_Her?_" Will asked with a raised eyebrow?

"Aye."

"Who's... _her_?" Helena asked curiously. But before she got an answer, they had pulled up to a hut and came to a stop.

Jack stood from his spot and stepped onto the landing. "No worries, mates. Tia Dalma and I go way back. Thick as thieves. Nigh inseparable we are. Were. Have been. Before."

Gibbs came to Jack's side. "I'll watch your back."

Jack gave a slight wince. "It's me front I'm worried about."

Gibbs gave him a look as if he understood. Then he turned to face Will. "Mind the boat."

"Mind the boat." Will said to Helena, then followed after Jack and Gibbs.

Helena furrowed her eyebrows. Was he crazy? No way was she going to stay out here, not by herself. And besides, she wanted to meet this Tia Dalma lady. She turned to Ragetti.

"Mind the boat."

"Mind the boat." Ragetti passed on to Pintel, who passed it onto Marty, who passed it onto Cotton and his parrot, at which point Cotton's parrot told Cotton to mind the boat and flew off into the hut, leaving Cotton all alone to mind the boat.


	10. Tia Dalma

**Disclaimer:** Still in the talks.

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The group filed into the hut one by one, with Jack cautiously leading them at the front. As soon as she was in, Helena noticed a dark skinned woman leaning over a desk, studying some papers, and her first thought was how odd she looked.

The woman looked up from her work and immediately spotted Jack. "Jack Sparrow." she said with an almost evil looking smile that match perfectly with her dark eyes.

"Tia Dalma." Jack expressed with an overly sweet voice, almost knocking his head on a jaw full of eyeballs hanging from the ceiling as he stepped towards the woman.

"I always knowed the wind was going to blow you back to me one day." She strolled up to Jack and was just about to hug him when she noticed Will. "You. You have a touch a' destiny about you. William. Turner." she said, stepping closer to him with every word.

Will looked confused and slightly frightened. "You know me?"

"You want to know me?" she asked in a seductive voice as she leaned against Will.

Luckily for Will, Jack quickly came between them. "There'll be no knowing here. We've come for help and we're not leaving without it." he began to steer her away. "I thought I knew you?"

"Not so well as I'd hoped." at that moment Tia Dalma released herself from Jack's hold and turned back to the group, narrowing her eyes on Helena. "And you."

"Me!" Helena all but squeaked. What did she do?

Tia Dalma walked closer to her, and began circling around her as if stalking her pray. If Helena had a place to run to she would have. Finally Tia Dalma stopped in front of her and locked her eyes with hers. "So you're the youngest Sparrow. I always hoped to meet you one day."

Now it was Helena's turn to be confused and frightened. How did this woman know so much about them when she never even met them! Helena tried to think of something to say, if for nothing else than to rid them of the silence that had come over them. "Ah. Soo...you've 'eard of me then?"

Tia Dalma let out a laugh. "Yes child, I know you. And you, have some troubling times ahead of you."

Helena eyes widened a little. "What kind of trouble?"

But Jack didn't like the direction that this conversation was going, and once again interrupted before she could go on anymore. "About that help?"

Tia Dalma gave Helena one last meaningful look, then turned and headed towards the back of the hut. "Come." she called back to Jack.

Jack turned and motioned to Will. "Come."

They followed her to the back. When they got there Tia Dalma walked over to Will again and began caressing his face. "What service may I do ya?" then she turned and fixed Jack with a hard stare. "You know I demand payment."

Jack nodded. "I brought payment." he whistled and was brought a cage with a sheet covering it. Helena watched as he unveiled it to show the monkey inside. _'Aww. Too bad.'_ Helena thought with a pout on her face. She was hoping she'd get a chance to get the know the thing a bit more. But now it looked like she wouldn't get the chance.

"Look... " Jack's voice brought her out of her thoughts. He brought a pistol out of his pocket and just like nothing, shot the monkey, causing the monkey to screech and Helena to jump for what seemed like the millionth time that day. But she really couldn't help it that time, he had, after all, just shot a helpless monkey. How on earth that would serve as payment was a mystery to her. "an undead monkey. Top that!"

_'Huh...?'_ Helena looked at the cage again and, sure enough, there was the monkey, alive and well. _'How'd he do that?'_ "How'd you do that!" she demanded. But no one was paying her any attention, which seemed to be happening a lot as of late.

Tia Dalma let the monkey out of the cage and it quickly jumped out, running to a nearby table.

"No!" Gibbs shouted, and looked over at Tia Dalma with sagging shoulders. "You've no idea how long it took us to catch that. "

But she didn't seem to care. "The payment is fair."

Will came up to her, a determined look on his face. "We're looking for this." he laid out the drawing of the key. "And what it goes to."

Tia Dalma looked at Jack. "The compass you bartered from me, it cannot lead you to this?"

Helena raised her eyebrows at this._ 'Wait a second...Jack got that compass from her? But he had that compass before Barbossa took him captive, how is it I never knew of her then?'_ Things did not add up, and it seemed that Helena would have to have another talk with Jack, but it would have to wait till later. Right now, she wanted to know what Tia Dalma had to say about this key.

"Maybe. Why?" Jack said in answer to her previous question.

"Aah. Jack Sparrow does not know what he wants. Or do you know but are loath to claim it as your own. Your key go to a chest. And it is what lay inside the chest you seek. Don't it?"

They all had the same question on their mind, but it was Gibbs who spoke up first. "What is inside?"

"Gold? Jewels? Unclaimed properties of valuable nature?" Pintel rattled on, his mind thinking of unimaginable fortunes.

"Nothing bad I hope." Ragetti said in a hopeful voice.

"You know of Davy Jones, yes?" Tia Dalma asked, receiving a nod from everyone. "A man of the sea. A great sailor. Until he run afoul of that which vex all men."

While everyone was distracted, Jack silently pocketed a trinket off of a table.

"What vexes all men?" Will asked.

Tia Dalma touched his hand. "What indeed."

"The sea!" Gibbs called out.

"Sums." said Pintel.

"The dichotomy of good and evil." suggested Ragetti, which earned him a wondering glance from both Gibbs and Pintel.

Helena just shooked her head and sighed. Even _she_ knew this one. _'Men.'_ "A woman!"

Tia Dalma nodded. "A woman. He fell in love."

But Gibbs wasn't having any of that. "No no no no, I heard it was the sea he fell in love with."

"Same story, different version and all are true. See it was a woman as changing, and harsh and untamable as the sea. He never stopped loving her. But the pain it caused him was too much to live with. But not enough to cause him to die."

"What exactly did he put into the chest?" Will asked, although he sounded as if he already knew.  
Tia Dalma tenderly laid a hand upon her breast. "Him heart."

Another silence came over the group, all of them trying to get their minds around this information. "Literally or figuratively?" Ragetti questioned.

Pintel shook his head absent mindedly. "He couldn't live, putting his heart in a chest. Could he?"

"It was not worth feeling what small, fleeting joy life brings. And so, him carved out him heart, lock it down in a chest, and hide the chest from the world. The key he keep with him at all times."

Will turned towards Jack. "You knew this." he accused.

Jack looked offended by that statement. "I did not. I didn't know where the key was. But now we do. So, all that's left is to climb aboard the Flying Dutchman, grab the key, you go back to Port Royal and save your bonnie lass, aye?"

Suddenly Tia Dalma became very interested in Jack. "Let me see your hand." Jack tried to hide his hand, but, knowing it was a lost cause, reluctantly held out his hand to her. She undid the bandage and revealed to everyone the dreaded black spot.

Everyone gasped and Helena almost fainted. So the stories were true after all. Everything about the cursed black spot and the Kraken, it was all real. She felt sick. She had just found Jack, she didn't want to lose him again already. She stepped back some away from the group and braced herself against a nearby wall.

Gibbs on the other hand, looked as if he had just seen a ghost. "The black spot!" he then dusted himself off and spinned around, spitting on the ground once he'd made a circle. Pintel and Ragetti followed his lead.

Jack gave them all a harsh glare. "My eyesight's as good as ever, just so you know."

Tia Dalma went even further into the hut, rummaging around through her things, while Jack pocketed another trinket from a nearby table. She returned with a jar cradled in her arms.

"Davy Jones cannot make port. Cannot step on land but once every ten years. Land is where you will be safe, Jack Sparrow, and so you will carry land with you." she then offered the jar to Jack.

Jack took the jar, then after a pause, "Dirt. This is a jar of dirt."

"Yes."

Jack looked skeptical. "Is the... jar of dirt going to help?"

"If you don't want it, give it back."  
"No!" Jack said and clutched the jar tighter to his chest.

Tia Dalma smiled at him. "Then it helps."

"It seems... we have a need to find the Flying Dutchman." Will said with a firm voice.

"A touch... of destiny."

But Helena was more worried now that ever. She knew things wouldn't, and couldn't be that easy. And as much as she loved Jack, and as much as she hated to admit it, she felt it in her gut. Jack was leading Will to a very grim fate. And it didn't seem that he had any real intention of helping Will rescue Elizabeth at all. But she didn't understand why. When did Jack become so...deceiving?


	11. I Need A Drink

**A/N:** Another quick chapter just to hold you all over till I get the the next one done the way I feel is good. A little filler chapter centering on Jack's thoughts.

**Disclaimer:** Nothing.

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Jack would be lying if he were to say he wasn't feeling just a tad bit uneasy. Helena had been quiet for quite some time now, which was very unlike her, to say the least. Under any other circumstances, he would have considered it a blessing, a gift from the heavens, but considering where they had just come from, it probably wasn't a good sign. He may not have shown any signs of distress, but he knew that she had heard some things back in the hut that didn't add up to what he had been telling her or what she thought to be true. And now, judging by the silence, she was _thinking,_ for once in her life. You would never guess it, and Jack certainly hated to admit it, but deep down she was a smart girl, and even she had to be catching on by now. So all of this left Jack with two choices, he could either leave things be for the time being and let things happen on their own, which would probably last all of a few hours, if that long, or, he could get to Helena first and do some damage control, try to blur the lines of truth for just a little while longer until he could get rid of her again. Either way he wasn't looking forward to it. He hadn't even been reacquainted with her for twenty four hours yet and she was already causing him one more headache that he didn't need.

It wouldn't take long to get back to the Pearl now. A matter of minutes. And from the looks that Helena would send him whenever he risked the chance of glancing her way, she was ready to pounce on him the moment her boots touched the deck. Which left him not long to think up a way out of the little trap he found himself in. And this time it wouldn't be a simple tale to fool her. No, she was past that now. This time, he would have to come up with some fancy foot work to dance around her. It wasn't going to be easy, but then again, nothing ever was.

Jack let out a heavy sigh.

_'I need a drink.'_


	12. The Truth?

**A/N:** Alright, here we go. Sorry for the wait again. I meant to have it up yesterday but I ended up rewriting the chapter because it didn't feel right. I don't know if this one is much better over all, but I had a funner time writing it, so that must count for something eh? Oh, and sorry for the cheesy A few Good Men reference, I swear it came out of nowhere.

**Disclaimer:** Well, I got a little POTC skull key chain that lights up in a cereal box!

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As soon as everyone was back on board, Jack quickly set his focus on trying to remove himself from Helena's presence, who was currently right on his heels. At first he just ignored her, nodding and waving to different crew members, trying to give off the impression that he hadn't heard her calling after him. But every time she would get in a position to grab the back of his jacket, he would have to quicken his step, which eventually evolved into a full on chase between the two, evoking many stares from the crew who had no clue as to what was going on. After realizing this would get him nowhere, and considering the fact he was starting to get tired, Jack reluctantly decided it was time to face her questioning. He reached the bow of the ship and abruptly stopped and turned around, causing Helena to run right into him.

Helena stumbled a bit, momentarily losing her concentration on what her initial purpose of chasing after Jack was. Once she regained her bearings, she set her sight on Jack again, who was looking at her as if he didn't know what she wanted.

"Why didn't you stop when I called you?"

Jack gave her a look of shock. "Ye called me? I'm terribly sorry luv, I 'ad no idea."

Helena raised her eyebrows. "'Ow could you not! I was right behind you!"

"Were you? Huh. Wasn't aware. Apologies."

He made to walk off when Helena grabbed his arm. He mentally winced. He knew that wasn't going to work but it was worth a try.

"Wait."

He turned around to face her again. "Yes?"

Helena stood with her hands on her hips. She wasn't going to fall for his tricks this time. "We need to talk. Now!"

"Whatever about luv?"

"About...about..." she stuttered a bit, trying to find the perfect wording. "Everything! Everything you been telling me, everything everyone else has been telling me, this whole search for that key...everything!"

Jack had to move out of the way a few times during her little tirade, for she was throwing her arms all over the place. If he did say so himself, she was overreacting just a bit. Again he gave her a look of confusion. "I'm not sure I know wha' your talkin' about."

Helena let out a low growl. "Why is it tha' everything you tell me is almost completely different from everything everyone else tells me?"

"Ow' should I know? Maybe everyone else is just lying to ya."

"Or maybe your lying to me."

"Me? Why on earth would I lie to you?"

"That's wha' I want to know!"

Jack put his arm around her shoulder and started guiding her on a little walk. "Helena luv, I think the problem is you're a little confused. Not much of a surprise really, considering the past couple of days you've 'ad. I think what you need is a little nap, it'll 'elp clear your mind."

But unfortunately for Jack, Helena wasn't having any of it. She threw his arm off of her shoulder. "I don't need a bloody nap! I need answers! I need the truth!" she all but screamed in his face.

"You can't handle the truth!" he screamed back, again getting the attention of everyone on board. Yes, even he had to admit he got a bit carried away for a second there.

Apparently Helena wasn't expecting his reaction to be of such a magnitude either, for she was staring at him completely dumbstruck, her eyes almost taking on a glazed over look. Jack had to hide a little smirk. Granted, that wasn't exactly planned, but nonetheless it seemed to provide him with a chance to walk away, unnoticed.

He was almost to the steps leading up to the helm when Helena came back to her senses and went after him again. Jack wanted to smack her. Did she never give up!

"Wai...wait! Wha' do ye mean I can' handle the truth? Wha' truth!" Helena demanded, once again screeching.

Jack badly just wanted to throw her overboard and be done with the pest once and for all, but then he caught a glimpse of Will, who was giving him a stern look as if to say 'don't you think it's time to tell her the truth?'. Jack gave him a slight glare. _'Damn honest whelp.'_ He gave a dramatic sigh. "Alright. I confess."

"To what!"

Jack couldn't hide the look of annoyance on his face. _'So impatient.'_ "I confess. I've been...lyin', to ye. I...I..." he was just about to confess his sins when he was struck by a flash of a crazed Helena going psychotic on him when she learned of the truth, and it wasn't a pretty picture. Enough to make him gulp. He did not want to deal with that. No way could he tell her the truth, the real truth. No, there had to be another way. _'Quick, think of something.'_ He was racking his brain for ideas when finally one came to him.  
He tilted his head to side and cast his eyes downward in a shamed manner. "Maybe...we could discuss this in me cabin. After all, it's more of a...private, matter, aye?" he looked at her hopeful.

Helena studied his face for a moment. He did seem sincere. She sighed. "Aye."

He gave her a brisk nod. He followed her into the cabin and shut the doors as she took a seat in the same chair as earlier. He followed suit and took a seat in his chair behind the desk.

"So then, what 'ave you been lying about exactly?"

Once again his acting skills came into play as he became somber. "I...wasn't, really kidnapped by Barbossa." he closed his eyes tight as he awaited her reaction.

Just as he had suspected, she let out a gasp. He peeked his eyes open just in time to see her, eyes wide with disbelief and rage overcome her features. He had to say, it was quite a sight.

"WHA' DO YE MEAN YOU WEREN'T REALLY KIDNAPPED BY BARBOSSA! 'OW COULD YE LIE TO ME LIKE! ALL THIS BLOODY TIME!"

It was a good thing there wasn't anything in arms reach that she could have thrown, because she definitely would have, no doubt about that.

"I know, I know, it was wrong. I 'ad no right. I'm scum. You 'ave every right to be mad at me."

Helena stood up, knocking her chair over in the process. "Ye damn right I do! 'Ow could you!" she finished by slamming her fists on the desk, causing some scattered papers to rattle a little with the force.

"I know. But you 'ave ta believe me luv, it wasn't my intention."

She furrowed her eyebrows. "What do ye mean?"

He sighed again, for added measure. "My biggest dream, for as long as I could remember, was for us to 'ave a ship of our very own, and sail the seas together, seeking treasures and riches of unimaginable worth. One night while in Tortuga, I caught wind of a ship, _this_ ship, that needed a captain. It was the most perfect thing that could of 'appened. There was no way I could pass it up. But I wanted it to be a surprise, for you." Jack gave her one of his charming smiles as she visually calmed down a bit and righted her chair and took her seat again. "So the next couple of days, I gathered a crew together. But before we set sail, I wanted to have a place to go, savvy? Tha' was when I met Tia Dalma. Tha' was the time you were sick with the flu, and were bed ridden, 'member?" A bit of realization came over Helena's face and she nodded at the memory. "I told ye I spent the days pick pocketing throughout the town, but really I was spending them with 'er. And that was when she gave me the compass. So I 'ad us a ship, a crew, an' a heading. Everything was set. But the night I was going to reveal my big surprise to ye, the crew convinced me tha' I shouldn't, tha' havin' a woman onboard was bad luck. I was..." Jack shook his head. "Young, stupid, naive enough to buy into it. An' so I...left."

Helena just looked at him. She couldn't believe it. Everything made so much more sense now. But she still couldn't believe it. He had left her? Just like that? She felt a pain in her chest like never before. "'Ow could ye...leave? Just like tha'?"

Jack felt a odd flutter in his stomach when he seen the look of hurt in her eyes, but he couldn't put his finger on what it was. He shook his head. "I don' know. I don' know what I was thinking. But you've got to believe me when I say, the guilt, of what I 'ad done, was unbearable. A few days into the journey, I finally came to me senses. I 'ad to go back and get you. But when I told the news to the crew, they were outraged. And that, is when Barbossa mutinied against me."

Jack watched her for a few moments, but she just stayed silent. _'Time to go in for the kill.'_ "I know it was wrong, an' I know the damage I caused can never be undone, but I hope, that maybe one day, ye could find in your 'eart to forgive me."

Helena didn't know what to make of it all. Could she forgive? There was part of her that wanted to, but then there was the other part that told her she couldn't. She didn't know what to do. This was just too much. She decided to change the subject.

"Wha' about Will?"

This wasn't the response Jack was expecting. "Wha' about 'im?"

Helena looked at him in disbelief. "I know your planning to somehow use him to your advantage against Davy Jones. Jack you can't! He'll get 'imself killed! An' you're using Elizabeth as a pawn to distract 'im."

_'How on earth did she figure that out! Blast she's a pain in the a...'_ Jack stopped himself. He had to control his temper. He just got her to believe him once again, he couldn't blow his cover.

Helena saw him go into a deep concentration. And then he came to a decision. "You're absolutely right luv. I can't. This is my problem, an' I'll 'ave to deal with it on my own."

Helena smiled with relief. Finally, he was coming to his senses. "Good. Good. You're doing to the right thing Jack. We can beat this, I just know it. But it doesn't mean we have to manipulate people." she came around to him and started patting his shoulder. "It'll all be okay. We just have to...wait for the oppotune moment, savvy?"

Jack rolled his eyes in disgust. "Savvy."

"Now, we 'ave to go tell Will, tell 'im we need a new plan."

She started walking towards the door. Jack stood up in a panic. He needed to do something. He scanned the room quickly but didn't see anything that would help. Then his hand went to his hip, where his sword was hanging. He smiled a golden grin. He slowly pulled the sword out of it's holder, quietly walked behind Helena, and with a quick motion, brought the hilt of the sword upon her head, knocking her out cold and causing her body to fall to the floor with a thump.

Jack leaned over her to make sure she was really out. When he was convinced, he put his sword away and stepped over her and out the door. He sauntered up the stairs and over to Gibbs who was steering the ship.

"Gibbs, a moment please."

"Aye Captain?"

"I need you to put Helena in me bed. Poor thing, was so tired she collapsed right there in the cabin."

"Aye Captain."

Jack smiled again, pleased with himself. He then looked towards the sky. "Oh and Gibbs?"

"Aye?"

"When you're done, ready the crew. Seems there's a storm comin'."

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**A/N2:** Quick, off topic question. Have any of you seen those new Got Milk? commercials? Where the aliens are trying to get the 'wonder tonic' from the cow, DA IRY? MY god I'm soo in love with those! Are they not the funniest thing ever?


	13. Where's Will?

**A/N:** I apologise now for the shortness, especially compared to last chapter, but I did a big edit job that took away about half the chapter. I realized when I was editing it that if I kept it in, I wouldn't be able to d a scene I've been looking forward to doing later on, so...there you go. Not much going on either, more of a filler chapter so I can get them into Tortuga, because I wanted that to be a chapter in itself. And I'm working hard on that one because I really want a certain someone (Miss Fluffy) to be happy with it.

**Disclaimer:** Do I really even need to keep adding these? We all know none of us own anything.

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She could feel the waves, rocking the ship back and forth like a baby's crib. Too calm to actually be sailing. They must have been docked somewhere. But where? And why? And where was _she_ for that matter? Funny, she was having a hard time remembering things. The last thing she remembered clearly was talking to Jack, and then they were going to talk to Will, but everything else was a blur. And her head was pounding.

She heard the faint sound of doors opening.

_'Someone must be coming in.'_

She slowly cracked one eye opened, expecting a bright ray of light to greet her, but it never came. It was still dark, except for the glow of a candle coming from somewhere in the room. Jack's room. She was in Jack's cabin, in Jack's _bed_.

She opened the other eye and scanned the room. She first looked out the window. The moon was high in the sky, meaning that it was late night, as oppose to early morning. Well, that answered one question. She turned her head slightly the other way to find Jack gathering some things. And that answered the question of who came in. No surprise there. Why would anyone else being coming in? Which brought up, again, the question of why was she in there.

Jack turned around to she her staring at him. "Oh. You're up."

"I wasn't aware I was down until a few moment ago. Wha' 'appened?"

Jack walked over to the bed and patted her arm. "Poor thing. Don't remember eh?"

Helena shook her head. "No."

He looked down at her with sympathy. "Didn't think you would. You see, my dear, you passed out."

Helena's face became alarmed. "What!"

"You passed out. 'ad me scared to death. See, you were on your way to talk to Will, and all of a sudden, you just dropped! So tired you collapsed, right there on the floor. Once I made sure you were alright, I tucked ye into bed. Didn't I tell you you should take a rest?" he lightly scolded her.

"Oh. I...guess I didn't realize I was so tired."

"No worries luv."

There was a small silence, that almost went left uninterrupted, but Helena decided to break it. "Where are we."

Jack spread his arms open and smiled down at her. "Tortuga!"

"Tortuga? I just came from here! What are we doing back?" she stopped to think a second, and then yet another question came to her. She glanced up at Jack suspiciously. "And where's Will?"

Jack made an 'O' shape with his mouth. "Ah! Well...about that."

Helena narrowed her eyes. "Wha' did you do?"

Jack held up a hand in a defensive manner. "Now now, it wasn't my fault. See, after you fell asleep, I told Will that we couldn't go after Davy Jones, that we had to come up with another plan, just like we had discussed. But 'e wasn't havin' it. Said he had to save Elizabeth, and if going to Davy Jones was what it took, then he'd do it. 'E had a good plan too. Simple, easy to remember. I swear luv, had I'd known it would turn out the way it did, I never would have let him go."

She was rising out of the bed now. "And how, exactly did it turn out?"

Jack had to take a step back. He never knew she could be...intimidating when she wanted to be. _'Apparently she's grown some kind of fondness for dear William.'_ "He was...kinda...sort of...pressed ganged into Davy Jones' crew?"

_"JACK!"_

Jack put a hand over her mouth to hush her before she went any further. "Don't, worry. I 'ave a plan."

"What kind of plan."

"Easy. We gather ninety nine souls here in Tortuga, find Davy Jones, and exchange them for Will's one soul."

Helena went to say something when she realized how ridiculous that sounded. She tilted her head. "Wha...what on earth makes you think that would work?"

"'E told me it would." he stated simply.

"Who told you?"

"Davy Jones."

Now Helena was even more confused, and a tad bewildered. "You talked to Davy Jones!"

"Yes."

"When!"

"While you were sleeping."

_'Lord, how long was I out.'_ "So let me get this straight, we 'ave to find ninety nine souls, then find Davy Jones, and then trade them for Will?"

Jack smile. "Aye. Now then, if you're coming lets get going. Lots of work ahead of us."

Helena stared after him as he walked out the doors. He made have been trying to hide it, but Helena could tell Jack was even more spooked now then before. Maybe he was just worried about Will? Maybe something else.

She sighed before following him out.

_'What have you gotten us into Jack.'_


	14. Two Sparrows and No Man

**A/N:** Sorry for the wait...again. Rough week, and my nerves are out of wack. But, seeing as how this didn't turn out to be one big chapter like I had planned, I got a second chapter that will be up either later on tonight or sometime tomorrow morning.

**Disclaimer: **...

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Tortuga. A pirate's haven. A place where one could go and drink his or her's worries away, gamble, spend their hard earned pay on pleasurable company, engage in a bar fight, etc. etc.

Helena looked around in disgust.

_'Same as when I left it.'_

She hated to admit it, but she never really liked the place. It was loud, it stunk, it was dangerous, and the woman with everything they owned hanging out of what they called dresses calling to the men that passed by, making fools of themselves. The place gave her a headache. She very much wished they didn't have to be there, but if being there would grant them what they needed to save Will and, in turn, save Jack, she had no problem in being there for a few hours.

The three of them, Jack, Gibbs and Helena, walked through the crowed streets until they came upon The Faithful Bride. Jack led them in and headed towards the back. There he found an unused table and instructed Gibbs and Helena to set up.

Once they had everything ready to go, Gibbs made an announcement that _The Black Pearl_ was recruiting new sailors, and anyone interested was to line up. Helena tried to be optimistic about the whole thing, but she couldn't help but think it didn't look like ninety nine people were lining up. It didn't even look like nine.

The first man walked up to the table. "And what makes you think you're worthy to crew the _Black Pearl_?" Gibbs asked.

"Truth be told, I never sailed a day in me life. I figure I should get out and see the world while I'm still young."

Gibbs nodded excitedly and pointed to the roster sheet. "You'll do. Make your mark. Next!"

An older man walked up this time. " My wife run off with my dog, and I'm drunk for a month, and I don't give an ass rat's if I live or die."

"Perfect! Next!"

While Gibbs was collecting signatures, Helena came over to stand by Jack, who had taken a seat in the corner. Sure, he and Gibbs both were there with her, but the men in the bar still made her nervous. Just in case something should come up, she wanted to be by her brother.

She glanced down at him to see that he was holding his compass and muttering to himself.

"I know what I want, I know what I want, I know what I want." he opened the compass and Helena saw that it kept spinning around rapidly.

While they were watching the compass, a third sailor came up to the sign up desk. "Me have one arm and a bum leg."

"It's the crow's nest for you."

While that sailor was signing the roster, Jack tried his luck at the compass once more. "I know what I want." he opened the compass and still nothing.

Helena pursed her lips together. Apparently, you don't."

Jack glared at her. "Thought you were to help Gibbs?"

Helena took that as a sign to back off. She went back to stand behind Gibbs just as he was calling over the next applicant.

"Ever since I was little, I've always wanted to sail the seas. Forever."

"Sooner than you think. Sign the roster."

The sailor looked on gratefully. "Thanks very much."

Helena felt sorry for thepoor devils. They had no clue what was ahead for them. She could relate to that.

Jack took a moment away from the compass. "How are we going?"

"Including those four? That gives us... four." at this news Jack began to shake the compass vigorously.

A fifth hopeful came up. For some reason, this man caught Helena's interest. A tall, rugged, scruffy looking man, cover in filth and who knew what else, stringy, matted hair and what appeared to be a wig on top of his head. He was quite a sight. Shedidn't know why, but something about this particular man gave her a bad vibe.

"And what's your story?" Gibbs asked without looking up.

"My story?" the mystery man asked with a hint of bitterness in his voice. Gibbs nodded without looking up. "It's exactly the same as your story, just one chapter behind. I chased a man across the seven seas." at this, Helena noticed out of the corner of her eye Jack stiffen as he suddenly closed his compass and started looking for a place to hide. She furrowed her brows when the mystery man's voice rang out again. "The pursuit cost me my crew, my commission, and my life." the man reached down and grabbed a bottle of run off the table, taking a drink.

Helena looked confused. Obviously, this man knew them, well, Gibbs at least, but who was _he?  
_

As if reading her thoughts, Gibbs answered her question. "Commodore?"

_'Now we're getting somewhere.'  
_

The man rolled his eyes. "No, not anymore, weren't you listening?" Helena could see Gibbs was getting a bit uncomfortable as the man leaned in closer. "I nearly had you all off Tripoli. I would've, if not for the hurricane."

At this point, Jack had taken a plant and was holding it in from of himself, apparently trying to sneak out of the tavern.

Helena became fixated on Jack. What had gotten him so spooked now? So fascinated was she, that she didn't even realize the two men before her had continued talking.

"Lord. You didn't try to sail through it?" Gibbs asked slightly stunned.

But the man ignored the question. "So do I make your crew or not? You haven't said where you're going. Somewhere nice!" at this he upturned the table, knocking Gibbs off his stool, bringing Helena down with him.

The man started to strut around the tavern. "So am I worthy to serve under Captain Jack Sparrow?" Jack was still trying to weazle his way out of the tavern, but wasn't as inconspicuous as he had thought. The man spotted him and pointed his pistol at him. "Or should I just kill you now?"

Jack lowered the plant and gave a smile. "You're hired."

The man snarled back at him. "Sorry. Old habits and all that."

Just as he was ready to fire, Helena regained her senses and saw the confrontation before her. Her eyes widened as she saw a pistol pointed at Jack. "Noooo!" she shrieked as she quickly jumped to her feet.

The Commodore looked her way and nearly swallowed his tongue. He hadn't notcied her before, too focused on the possibility of killing off Jack, but he saw her now, clear as day. And there was only one thing on his mind then.

_'Two Sparrows?'_

Her cry had distracted the man long enough for two other men in the tavern to grab ahold of the arm that held the pistol, raising it to the ceiling. "Easy sailor!" but the pistol went off, the bullet ricocheting off a light and breaking someone's bottle, causing a full blown brawl to erupt.

Jack looked towards Gibbs and Helena. "Time to go."

"Aye." both of them spoke at the same time and wasted no time in following his lead.

As she was making her way towards Jack, Helena ran straight into another young sailor. They got tangled up in each other for a moment before the sailor pushed Helena towards Gibbs and ran off to help the 'Commodore' fellow fight off his attackers.

Helena try to get a glimpse of the young lad, and was surprised at what she seen. Or at least, what she _thought_ she seen. But there was no time to further investigate. She had to catch up to Jack and Gibbs before she got her head taken off.

When she finally did catch them, they were walking upstairs, presumably an attempt to get out of the way of the many drunken brawlers downstairs, which wasn't much help seeing as there appeared to be just as many upstairs. On the way up, Jack took a few hats from passing men, throwing them to the side when they didn't seem to suite him. Why? Who knew.

Helena took the chance to ask some questions. "Who was that man back there?" she had to scream over the noise.

Jack waved a hand in the air as if the little matter was nothing of importance. "Oh tha', tha' was the Commodore. He's an old friend of ours."

"He didn't look very friendly."

"No, he's a bit aggressive that one. Needs to find 'imself a girl."

When they reached the top he grabbed another hat from a man sitting on the railing. "Thanks mate." he patted the man's shoulder, which caused the man to fall over. "Ohh." he then took that hat and put it on another man's head, who was being carried off to be thrown off the second floor, and stepped aside. "Carry on." and then the man was gone.

Helena couldn't stop the curiousness in her and looked down at the scene below once more. The Commodore was crowed by a group of men and he had his sword out in front of him.

"Come on, then! Who wants some? For my lordly line, I'll have you one by one. Come on, who's first?"

It was then that the young sailor who had run into her came behind him with a bottle and smashed him over the head with it, knocking him out cold. "I just wanted the pleasure of doing that myself." he said to the now cheering crowd. While everyone else was busy celebrating, the sailor began dragging the Commodore out of the tavern.

Helena watched said sailor intently. She then tilted her head to one side, as a little smile began to play on her lips.

She knew that sailor, even from what little she saw, reminded her of someone. Herself. She had been dressing up like Jack far to long to be fooled.

That sailor was no man.


	15. New Heading

**A/N:** A little late, but still the same day, so I'll count that as a victory. Enjoy, and please, everyone, wish me luck. I have a big job interview tomorrow, and things in the job department haven't been going well at all yet, so I need all the prayers I can get!

**Disclaimer:** If that job does come through, I'll be a step closer.

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Someway or another, she still wasn't sure how, they managed to get out of the tavern without injury, and with the four new sailors in tow. But Helena still had her mind on the Commodore and the _'lad'_ who was actually a woman. If the Commodore was connected to Jack and Gibbs, and the lady/lad seemed to be connected to the Commodore, then technically, weren't they all connected one way or another?

"Jack."

"What?"

That Commodore...guy."

"Yes."

"You know 'im."

"Yes."

"And he's a friend of yours?"

"Friend of a friend, more like."

Helena was trying to keep pace with him. _'When did he start walking so fast?'_ "'Ow so?"

"He was Elizabeth's fiance."

"Elizabeth? I thought Will was Elizabeth's fiance?"

"He is, now."

"And the Commodore...was...?"

"Then."

"When?"

"Before."

"Before what!"

"Befor..." Jack huffed and turned to face her. "Before Will was!"

"Oh...Wha' 'appened."

Jack sighed and started walking again. "The lass never loved Commodore, well, Norrington, as he's called, she loved Will. Since the day they met, apparently. When the whole Barbossa thing 'appened, she told Norrington she'd marry him if he'd go after Will and save him from Barbossa. Then, when all was settled, she ran into Will's waiting arms and they became engaged."

"Oh. Poor Commodore."

"Yes, yes, poor Commodore. I was always rooting for 'im too."

"An' wha' about tha' lass dressed like a lad back there in the tavern?"

_'Why is she always talking!'_ "Wha' lass?"

"Captain Sparrow."

They both turned around to see who was calling him. And were met by the sight of which they were just discussing.

"Oh, tha' lass." Helena pointed happily.

Jack, on the other hand, wasn't quite so thrilled. He was in fact, a little shocked, and a bit nervous. "Elizabeth?" he quickly turned to Gibbs. "Hide the rum." which Gibbs did with all haste.

"I'm here to find Will."

"Ahh. So tha's why you're dressed as a lad, disguise." Helena analyzed, more to herself than anyone else.

Elizabeth looked her way and, just like all before her, nearly swallowed her tongue. And she thought _she_ looked bad. "Who..."

Jack himself, was getting quite tired of this little chat though, so he took the liberty of filling in the gaps. "She's me long lost sister that I foolishly left when I was young an' stupid to be Captain of The Black Pearl an' then when I 'ad realized the mistake I'd made, I tried to come back, an' then Barbossa mutinied against me for tryin' it, she ran into Will while Will was lookin' for me an' now we're looking to save Will, savvy?" he said in one long breath and then started gasping when he was done, while Helena nodded at Elizabeth to indicate, yes, that's the story.

But as fast as he tried to say it, Elizabeth still caught the flaw in that story. She would know, after all, she was there. "But th..."

_"Savvy!"_ Jack added more force to the word and looked her straight in the eye.

Elizabeth got the message and although she was curious as to why Jack would lie to his sister, and more so at the fact he even had a sister, she needed his help to find Will, so it would be smart not to be on his bad side. With one last look at the sister, she focused on why she was really there.

"Jack, I know Will came to find you, where is he?" she said, and Helena could just detect the worry in her voice.

"Uh oh." Helena mumbled to herself, and looked towards the sky, pretending to gaze at the stars when Elizabeth looked her way again to see why she had said 'uh oh.'

Jack gave her a look to say he was having a hard time with his next words. "Darling, I am truly unhappy to have to tell you this, but through an unfortunate and entirely unforeseeable series of circumstances that had nothing whatsoever to do with me, poor Will has been press-ganged into Davy Jones's crew."

Elizabeth looked at him with confusion. "Davy Jones."

It was then that Jack and Helena realized that the Commodore was there with Elizabeth as well. He was a little worse for wear this time around, throwing up over the dock and all. But there was no denying his doubt in Jack's little story. "Oh, please. The Captain of the Flying Dutchman?"

"You look bloody awful, what are you doing here?"

He stumbled over to them, wearing the same snarled look as earlier. "You hired me. I can't help it, if your standards are lax."

Jack narrowed his eyes a bit at the remark of not being a good Captain and wasn't going to stand for it. "You smell funny."

"Jack!" Elizabeth tried to get his attention and get the two _grown_ men to stop acting like children, while Helena just shook her head.

"Hmm."

"All I want is to find Will."

Jack went serious and stepped a little closer to her. "Are you certain? Is that what you really want most?"

"Of course!"

Jack laid a hand on her back and started leading her to the side, away from the other two.

"Because I would think, you'd want to find a way to save Will most."

"And you'd have a way of doing that?"

"Well, there is a chest."

"Oh, dear." Norrington started in again with his doubt of anything Jack said.

Helena looked at him with a bit of a frown. "You know mate, I know you 'ad a bit of bad luck but still, you 'ave an awfully bleek out look on things."

"Oh, is that so? And what are you going to do, help me find God?"

Helena didn't even bother to go further. Some people were just content with being miserable. _'Jerk.'_

Once he was sure they were done talking, Jack continued his talk with Elizabeth. "A chest of unknown size and origin."

"What contains the still beating heart of Davy Jones." Pintel said, coming from behind them, while Ragetti imitated a still beating heart that had been ripped out of its chest..

"And whoever possesses that chest, possesses the leverage to command Jones to do whatever it is he or she wants. Including saving brave William from his grim fate."

"You don't actually believe him, do you?" Norrinton came to stand by Elizabeth.

But she just ignored him. "How do we find it?"

At which point Helena came to stand behind Norrington. "I guess that means she does. " she said a bit smugly. Which earned her a glare from him.

" With this." Jack took out his compass and help it up to her. "My compass... is unique."

The Commodore took another opportunity to add his input. "Unique, here, having the meaning of broken."

Jack nodded. "True enough." Norrington must have been happy with the point he made, for he walked off then to throw up some more. "This compass does not point north."

"Where does it point?" Elizabeth wondered.

"It points.." Jack and Helena both started at the same time. Helena, realizing she was intruding on Jack's tale, held her hands up in an apologetic manner and indicated for him to continue with a whispered sorry. "It points to the thing you want most in this world."

Elizabeth looked at him, at both of them before shaking her head. "Jack...are you telling me the truth?"

It was almost like Elizabeth was reading Helena's mind, because she was thinking the same thing, with other things she had been told of course.

But if he was lying, he was showing no signs of it. "Every word, love. And what you want most in this world..." he placed the compass in her hands. "is to find the chest of Davy Jones, is it not?"

"To save Will."

"By finding the chest of Davy Jones." Jack convinced. He opened the compass in Elizabeth's hands and quickly stepped away. The three of them watched as the needle spun wildly before coming to a stop. Jack peered at it cautiously to get the coordinates. "Mr. Gibbs!"

"Cap'n?" Gibbs asked, coming down the plank.

"We have our heading." Jack exclaimed happily.  
"Finally! Cast off those lines, weigh anchor, and trough that canvas!"

Jack turned back to Elizabeth and with a sweep of his arms, invited her on board. "Ms. Swann." the Commodore followed, swaying the whole way.

He was stopped by Ragetti. "Welcome to the crew, former Commodore." he said, while putting a goat in his arms. He looked down at it in confusion.

Although she wasn't liking him too much at the moment, Helena couldn't help but feel sorry for him. He was quite pathetic looking. She sighed and walked over to him, grabbing the goat from his arms before the extra weight knocked his already unbalance form over. "In all seriousness mate, you really don't look too good."

"Yes, well, neither do you."

Helena was just about to give him a piece of her mind when the Commodore took the last word, by dumping the remaining contents of his stomach all over her and the goat.

And even if she couldn't prove it, she wasn't convinced in the least bit that it was an accident.


	16. Odd Chats And A Guy Named Bucket?

**A/N:** Hello all. Well, I know it's shameful how long I let this collect dust. I tried many a times to get back into it and get it finished, but then when I had the blank page in front of me, I found that I just didn't have any words in me to write. But with the release of the third movie fastly approaching, I got the feeling in my fingers back and I'm ready to get it completed. I'm posting three now to kind of make up for the long wait, and because they're short. But I plan to have the last two up by Friday.

I don't know if the writing is any better or any more original (which was the source of a few of my reviews) but know that I tried my hardest and really, isn't that all you can ask of me?

So enjoy, and thanks for not abandoning me!

**Disclaimer:** An unopened box of _Pirates of the Caribbean_ Valentine's Day Cards.

* * *

It seemed like she had been washing forever when Helena finally got the last bit of filth off of her person. It was when she finished with the cleaning and drying off that the events of the day caught up with her completely. She dragged her feet over to the hammock she'd been occupying the last few days and flopped down, almost falling to the floor in the process. Once she was sure she had herself balanced, she settled in more comfortably. As she drifted off, her eyelids becoming very heavy, she waited for the nightly anticipation of what would come to hit her, but it never did. The only thought that came to her before she fell into the darkness of sleep, was the smell that still lingered on her clothes, and how long it would take to go away. 

_'Bugger.'_

-----------

Luckily, by the time Helena awoke the next morning, the smell had vanished. With a sigh of relief, she rolled off of the cot and began putting her boots on. She wasn't sure why, but she felt that today was going to be interesting. She was quite eager to talk with The Pearl's new guests, in particular Elizabeth. Will had seemed very much in love with her, and she wanted to see if his feelings were matched. There was something about people in love that always made Helena happy. Something about the way two people could be completely and utterly dedicated to other. It was a beautiful thing, she felt. She never wanted to be in love herself, of course, too complicated for her taste, but it was still nice to see in other people.

As she made her way to the deck, she noticed that everyone else was already up and working, the crew swabbing the deck, and Jack, Gibbs and Elizabeth standing up by the helm discussing something that seemed to be of some importance.

Helena took a moment to think about her options. She didn't want to impose, but she was also curious as to what they were talking about. If there was one thing she didn't like, it was being kept in the dark, which seemed to be happening more and more frequently lately. She decided it would be best to play things discreetly. She would stay away from them and let them finish talking. After all, it would be rude of her to barge in on their conversation.

_'But...if I'm standing here, minding me own business, and I happen to...overhear wha' they're saying, well then I can't be to blame for tha' now can I?'_

So she strolled over to the railing by the bottom of the stairs and watched as the waves lazily slapped against the side of the ship. She strained her ears, but she was having a harder time than she thought she would hearing things clearly, only catching bits and pieces, something about some pardons, the East India Trading Company, Will and some guy named Bucket, was it?

Just as Helena was about to give up on the whole thing, Gibbs came thumping down the stairs with orders for the crew to coax more wind into the sails, followed by Jack and Elizabeth as they continued their conversation.

_'This is much better.'_

Never wanting to be a bother, Helena backed up to the wall behind her a bit more. There was really no need for them to stop on her account.

"Might I enquire as to how you came by these." Jack inquired as he held up the letters that Helena assumed to be the pardons she had previously heard about.

"Persuasion."

"Friendly?"

"Decidedly not." Elizabeth shot back with a set jaw.

Jack eyed her for a moment, as if thinking. "Will strikes a deal for these and upholds it with honor, yet you are the one standing here with the prize." he held up the letters again so he could see the writing. "Full pardon, commissioned as a privateer on behalf of England and the East India Trading Company..." It was at this point that Norrington seem to come out of nowhere. Jack spotted him and put the letters in his pocket. "As if I could be bought for such a low price." he remarked, with some disgust and offense in his voice.

At seeing the letters disappear into his jacket, Elizabeth seemed a bit alarmed, although she tried to hide it. "Jack, the letters, give them back."

"No. Persuade me."

She had narrowed her eyes a bit as she came up behind Jack. "You do know Will taught me how to handle a sword."

Jack turned with an almost lingering look. "As I said... persuade me. " And with that, he walked off.

Helena came out from hiding and took a seat on the stairs as she watched Elizabeth walked off to the other side of the ship and leaned against the railing with a smile on her lips. Norrington went over to her and they exchanged a few words, but Helena had no interest this time. She was much too caught up with the last chat she had eavesdropped on.

_'Odd.'_ she thought._ 'That sure didn't seem like the actings of a young woman about to be married, or of a friend trying to help reunite the two to be married.'_

Helena glanced up to see Elizabeth with the compass in her hand, before quickly shutting it. When she looked up she caught Helena's eye and seemed a bit startled to find someone staring at her. She then turned the other way and set her gaze on the ocean.With no one else around Helena took the opportunity presented and too made her way to the young woman.

_'I think it's time for that talk.'_


	17. That Didn't Go So Well

"Ello."

Elizabeth lifted her head to see Helena standing in front of her and before she knew it, the woman was occupying the space next to her.

"I 'ope you don't mind, I just thought since we won't be getting to our destination for a while, we could take this time to talk a little, get to know one another. Will talked so much about ye, an' now that you're here in person, I wanted to see for meself."

The mention of Will caught her attention. "See what for yourself?"

"If ye were in love with 'im as much as he is with you."

In a flash Elizabeth's eyes went wide and dark. "Of course I am! How dare you insinuate I wasn't! You don't even know me to make such accusations!"

Helena winced._ 'Not good.'_ She didn't know where she had gone wrong, seeing as how she hadn't even been there but thirty seconds. But it was obvious that something had, indeed, gone horribly wrong, and before she could even clear her head from the tongue lashing Ms. Swann had given her, said lady was gone, off to the other side of the ship it seemed.

_'So much for that.'_ She was hoping the two would become friends, maybe even like sisters, but it didn't seem like that would happen anytime soon, if at all. She turned so her back was against the railing and did a quick scan of the ship. Wasn't there someone else she had wanted to talk to?

"Ahem."

_'Speak of the devil.'_

She turned to find herself in front of The Commodore, looking a little better for wear than he had last night. Though not by much. But why was he looking so amused? What could he have possibly seen that was so funny?

"What?"

"Seems you and Elizabeth didn't get off on the best foot."

Helena narrowed her eyes slightly. So that was it. He didn't come across an interesting something or another during his prowl of the ship. He didn't think _'hmmm, I bet Helena might find this entertaining and heaven knows the poor thing could use a good laugh'_, he wasn't trying to throw up the white flag and make amends. No, the only thing he found amusing was her. He was laughing at her and her failed attempt to make nice with Elizabeth. He enjoyed her misery. Well then, she was not going to stand there and be the butt of his joke. No sir. She was a pirate, she had her pride, she would show him!

So with her back straight, shoulders back and head held high, she gave it to him alright.

The silent treatment. As she walked away.

_'Tha' oughta show 'im!'_


	18. The Girl Has A Hissy Fit

Helena had been lying in her hammock when she heard Gibbs call _'Land-Ho'_. She jumped up and hurried to get all her effects together. She wanted to be ready to go as soon as they lowered the boats. Once she was done she carefully made her way up the steps and onto the deck. She saw as the crew were getting the ship prepared to weigh anchor and Jack walk past her with his jar of dirt. She followed behind him as he headed towards the group waiting by the side of the railing.

"Alright, everyone ready to go?" he asked them urgently.

Among the mumbled 'ayes' and nods of the head, Helena stepped up beside him.

"Me too!"

Jack took one look at the owner of the new voice and nearly dropped his jar. "No! Absolutely not!"

Helena stared back wide eyed at him. "Wha' do ye mean _no?!_"

"Exactly tha', no, ye're not coming.''

"Why not?!"

"Because mmmmhh" Jack stuttered for a moment as if looking for words he didn't have before finally looking Helena in the eye again. "Because it's dangerous."

Helena raised an eyebrow. "So?"

"And...an' I ...wouldn't wan' ye to get hurt."

"Everyone else here 'as just as much a chance of gettin' hurt as I would."

Jack appeared to be in thought for a moment, before he finally rose to his full height and stepped forward so he could lean over Helena, and he revelled in the victory when she stepped back some. "Listen here young missy, I'm _Captain_ of this ship, I give the orders, you take them. An' I am telling ye for the last time, _you...are...not...comin'! Savvy?_"

She was silent. Dead silent. _'Good, I think tha'_ _is settled.'_ Jack allowed himself a smug smile as he turned around and started ushering everyone into the small boat. He was almost in himself when he suddenly heard a small, almost inaudible whimper behind him. He stopped dead in his tracks and slowly turned his head to see what had caused such a noise. And there she was. Helena. Looking as pathetic as ever. Chin quivering, eyes watering, ready to go into a full blown fit. He really did not have time for this! Didn't the twit understand how seriously their predicament was? _His_ predicament was?

He took a few small steps towards the girl and hesitantly tried to lay a comforting hand on her arm, but thought better of it and pulled back. He sighed.

"Helena, I.." but he was cut off by the sound of the flood gates opening. The girl was practically on the floor now, sobbing and screaming something he couldn't understand, but probably wouldn't want to anyway. He had to cover his ears when the screeching started, as did most of the surrounding crew. It was a long, painful few minutes before she settled down just enough to be understood, at which point she latched herself onto Jack's arm, causing him to let out a squeak of his own.

"Please Jack please! Ye 'ave to let me come! I just wan' to 'elp! I just wan' to be a part of the group! I swear on me honor I won' get in the way just please, please give me a chance!"

''Oh for heaven's sake Jack, let her come so she'll shut up!" Norrington finally snapped.

Jack took a glance down at Helena and winced when her hold on his arm grew tighter. He took one more look at the big, watery, puppy dog like eyes she was giving him and knew without a doubt he was fighting a losing battle. With one more dramatic sigh he threw up his free arm in defeat.

"Fine."

There was one more squeal that was just as bad as the screech that came before it before Helena jumped on him and nearly took them both overboard. Before Jack knew what had hit though, she was already in the boat, settled in between Pintel and Ragetti, Ragetti giving her a welcome salute. Jack just rolled his eyes.

_'Bloody woman!'_


	19. The Truth And All Hell Breaks Loose

**A/N:** I never actually met for Helena and Elizabeth to get along so rottenly, and for Elizabeth to be so mean to her, but it just sort of came out that way. But they'll have their moment of understanding in the next chapter, the_ last_ chapter!

* * *

It wasn't long before the boat hit the shore. Well, depending on who you asked that is. Personally, Helena thought Pintel's and Ragetti's discussion on the correct pronunciation of _'Kraken'_ was very thought provoking, even if the others did seem annoyed.

As soon as they all had climbed out Jack turned to the two while he put his jacket and jar back in the boat, exchanging them for a shovel. "Guard the boat, mind the tides... don't touch my dirt!"

When they were all set to go, Elizabeth took the lead, compass in hand, while the other three followed her direction. It seemed like they had been walking forever and Helena could have screamed when the girl began walking in circles, all the while continuously looking up at Jack a bit helplessly. Finally she came to a halt altogether and with a huff, took a seat where she stood.

"This doesn't work! And it certainly doesn't show what you want most."

Jack walked behind her and took a look for himself at the compass and was just about to correct her when Helena beat him to the punch. "Maybe ye're jus' not doing it right."

That, of course, earned her a glare from Miss. Swann. "It's a compass, there's only one way to use it!"

"Elizabeth." Jack tried to get her attention but failed when again, Helena opened her mouth first.

"Well I was jus' makin' a suggestion. No need to get yer knickers in a bunch!" she shot back with her hands held up in a defensive manner.

"Elizabeth." Jack tried again, a little more louder this time, but still was ignored, for it seemed Lizzy had had enough.

And for the second time that day, Elizabeth's eyes filled with rage that was directed at Helena. She stood up, dropping the compass in the process, and in a flurry was standing in front of Helena, finger pointing threatening in her face. "All you've done since I've met you is make suggestions! And quite frankly I've had enough of it! I haven't spent but twenty seconds with you and already you're the most irritating person a person can have the displeasure of meeting! No wonder Jack..."

At the mention of his name Jack quickly interjected before things got really ugly. "OY! LIZZY!"

For the first time she finally looked his way. "What?!"

"As much as I truly hate to interrupt this little showcase, I find it my duty to inform you that my compass does, in fact, work. You were sitting on it."

Both woman seemed confused by this, giving an _'what'_ in unison.

Having had enough of the two, Jack rolled his eyes and beckoned Norrington over with a whistle. "Dig." As he walked over to take a seat in the sand himself, he hid a smirk at Norrington's obvious disgust of having to take an order from him.

As Elizabeth went to stand by Norrington, Helena made her way over to have a seat next to Jack.

Jack could hear her mumbling to herself, surprised to hear her call Elizabeth a few choice words that he never even knew she knew. "Wha' was that?"

Helena glanced at him, a bit surprised herself that he could hear her. She hadn't realize she said those things out loud but quickly let her embarrassment dissolve into the anger she felt. "Tha' woman, nay, tha' girl! Miserable wench! Can ye believe the way she talks to me? I've done nothing but try to be nice to 'er since she came aboard an' all she's done is yell at me an' accuse me of impugning 'er honor! The nerve! I tell ye, I don' know wha' Will or Norrington ever saw in 'er!"

Jack chuckled. "Believe it or not, the lass does have 'er good qualities."

Helena merely rolled her eyes. "If that's true, I've yet to see 'em."

They both looked up when they heard the sound of the shovel hitting something solid. They got up and walked over to the hole and the four of them leaned over to see what it was. Jack pulled out a large chest, taking the shovel from Norrington to break it open. Inside there was a pile of letters. He pushed them aside to reveal a smaller chest, the chest of Davy Jones. Simultaneously they put their ears to the chest, and were greeted by a thumping sound.

Helena let out a breathless gasp. "I can hear it!"

"It's real." Agreed Elizabeth.

"You actually were telling the truth." Quipped in Norrington, shock evident in his voice.

But Jack didn't seem quite so phased. "I do that quite a lot, yet people are still surprised."

"With good reason." Said a familiar voice behind them.

They all turned and found Will standing there, dripping wet.

Elizabeth was the first to react. "Will!" she ran up to him and they instantly became locked in a kiss. When they broke apart she was quick to talk again. "You're alright, thank God! I came to find you."

Helena herself was quite happy to see him again as well, all in one piece at that. "Welcome back!"

He looked at her but before he could say anything, Jack interrupted. "How did you get here?"

"Sea turtles mate, a pair of them strapped to my feet."

Jack raised his eyebrows a bit nervously. "Not so easy is it?"

Will brushed the comment off though, he had more to say. "But I do owe you thanks, Jack."

Jack's raised eyebrows now furrowed in confusion. "You do?"

"After you tricked me onto that ship, to square your debt with Jones."

Both Elizabeth and Helena turned to face Jack, clearly shocked. "What?!" They both demanded.

"What?" Jack responded in a high pitched voice of his own.

Will continued. "I was reunited with my father."

"Oh, well, you're welcome then."

But Elizabeth was livid once more, but Helena was relieved to see that this time it was Jack's fault. She turned a glare towards Jack. "Everything you said to me, every word was a lie!"

Jack shrugged. "Pretty much. Time and tide, love."

"Bastard!"

They were all more than a bit surprised by the venom in Elizabeth's voice, and Helena took it upon herself to say something. Nobody talked to her brother like that. "Now now, I know ye're mad and for good reason, but really, there's no need for name callin'. I'm sure Jack 'as a perfectly good explanation for wha' he did." She tried to reason, even if she wasn't quite sure she believed that herself.

But Elizabeth was having none of it. "Oh please! What would you know? You can't even tell that your own brother can't stand you!"

Jack winced as Helena looked on stunned. "What?"

"That's right. Jack wasn't trying to come back to you, he couldn't stand you! That's the reason he left in the first place."

Helena gasped as her eyes went wide and she turned towards Jack. "Is that true?" When he didn't answer she asked again. "Is it?!"

Jack gave a sheepish smile. "Possibly."

Helena let out a strangled cry and pounced on Jack like a predator attacking it's prey. "Ye heartless bastard! 'Ow could ye just leave me like that! All I've ever done was worship ye and ye just abandon me?!"

Jack was trying desperately to pry her off of him, but it wasn't working. "Bloody 'ell woman! Get off me! Look, I swears it's not quite as bad as it seems. I..." he went to say more, but suddenly out of the corner of his eye he saw Will kneeling in front of the chest with a knife in his hands. Afraid the boy might do something stupid, he used all his might to push Helena off him, causing her to fall to the floor, and came up behind Will. "Oi, what are you doing?"

"I'm gonna kill Jones."

Jack pulled out his sword and leveled it with Will and went dead serious. "Can't let you do that, William. 'Cause if Jones is dead, who's to call his terrible beastie off the hunt, eh?" Will reluctantly stood up, still holding the key to the chest. Jack reached for it. "Now if you please, the key."

"Don' give it to 'im Will! E's a lying cheat an' ye can't trust him!" Helena yelled from behind Jack, causing him to turn and glare at her. But while he wasn't looking, Will snatched Elizabeth's sword, causing her to squeak. "I keep the promises I make, Jack. I intend to free my father. And I hope you're here to see it."

But at the same time, Norrington took out his own sword and pointed it at Will, again causing Elizabeth to let out another squeak. "I can't let you do that, either. So sorry."

Jack smiled at him. "I knew you'd warm up to me eventually."

But his smiled faded when Norrington then swung his sword around to point at him, with Will taking the chance to point his sword at Norrington, forming a triangle between the three.

"Lord Beckett desires the contents of that chest. I deliver it: I get my life back."

"Kill him!" Helena hollered out again, still very much outraged at the new revelation about her brother's deceit.

Jack just ignored her and looked at Norrington, almost amused. "Ah. The dark side of ambition."

He smiled back. "Oh, I prefer to see it as the promise of redemption." And then all that was heard was the sound of metal clashing.

Much to Helena's horror, Elizabeth actually tried to get them to stop. She yelled for them to stop but was only ignored. When Will fell she ran to his side. She helped him up but he only ran after the other two, telling her to guard the chest.

But she wouldn't have any of it and started after them. "No! This is not funny! This is no way for grown men to act!"

Helena followed suit, trying to get her to let them be. "Why stop them eh? Why not just let 'em kill each other! Men! Worthless, traitorous swine, the lot of 'em. Waste of space!"

And it seemed Elizabeth had finally had enough too. "Oh, fine! Let's just pull out our swords and start banging away at each other, that's all there ever is. I've had it! I've had it with wobbly-legged, rum-soaked pirates." She bent down to pick up rocks and started throwing them at the three.

Helena just watched her in frustration. "Ye're not doing any good you know?"

Elizabeth turned and threw a rock at her. "Shut up!"

Helena ducked before the rock made contact. "Oh! Me shut up? Ye're the one screaming like a maniac when no one is even paying attention!" She bent down and threw a rock herself, hitting it's target in the leg, causing it's target to scream out in outrage.

"Well at least I'm trying to help!"

"Lot of good it's doing!"

And so started another war. It went on for a few minutes, rocks and sand flying every which way until both girls saw Pintel and Ragetti running down the beach with the chest in their hands. They both took one look at each other before taking off after the two.

When they got close Elizabeth jumped in front of them and went for her sword, only to realize it wasn't there. She looked at Helena for help, but when she went to get hers, it wasn't there either. She was confused for a moment, but then it hit her. "Oh. I knew I forgot something."

Pintel and Ragetti grinned at them. "'Ello poppets."

But before they could do anything they were all caught off guard by the giant wheel rolling by, Will and Norrington fighting on top of it and Jack running behind it. While the two girls were still occupied with the image before them, the two pirates started advancing on them when out of nowhere, a hatchet embedded itself in a nearby tree. They all jump and look for the source of the weapon, and saw a group of Davy Jones' men running towards them. Pintel and Ragetti handed each girl a sword and took off again with the chest, with the girls following close behind, each letting out a scream.

Pintel and Ragetti dropped the chest when it hit a tree and, knowing it was the only way to protect it, Elizabeth stopped to fight. She turned to Helena who was right behind her.

"Duck!"

Helena did so without hesitation and saw the man behind her run straight into Elizabeth's sword. She was just about to thank her when she seen another man fast approaching. Knowing she was no good with a sword, she panicked and tossed her sword to Elizabeth, who swiftly caught it and fought off a few more men before enlisting the help of Pintel and Ragetti.

As they were fighting, Helena saw a conch head pirate making off with the chest. Altough she still wasn't sure at this point why she wanted it, she knew she couldn't let Davy Jones get it. She took off after the pirate. When she caught up with him, he had been beheaded and was now a body trying to find said head. She seen Jack leaning over the chest and since she was still mad at him, she did not want him to have it either. So she ran up behind him and grabbed the chest out of his hands and made a mad dash back the way she had come.

When she met up with Elizabeth and the other two again she happily showed them her prize.

"I got it!"

Elizabeth pointed down towards the beach. "Boat!"

They all made their way to it and when they got there Norrington and Jack were fighting off some more pirates and Will was lying unconscious in the water. Elizabeth ran to him and tried to wake him up.

"Leave him lie! Unless you plan on using him to hit something with." Jack advised as a crowed of pirates gathered around them.

Helena, terrified out of her mind, put her anger at her brother aside and took a place slightly behind him, hoping for some kind of protection. "There's too many of 'em."

"We're not coming out of this." Elizabeth too sounded worried.

Norrington looked around. "Not with the chest. Into the boat." He ordered as he grabbed the chest out of Helena's hands.

Elizabeth tried to stop him. "You're mad!"

"Don't wait for me." he said as he ran down the beach, the pirates following close behind.

Having no intentions of doing other wise, Jack climbed into the boat. "I say we respect his final wish."

Helena nodded and got in as well. "Agreed."

"Aye." said Pintel as he started to push off.

Ragetti helped Elizabeth pull Will into the boat and got in himself as they started rowing back to the Pearl. They were half way there when it finally dawned on Helena like a ton of bricks that this would not end well.


	20. Betrayal And Redemtion

**A/N:** Okay, so we're at the end. Yay! The last part of this chapter, everything from when Elizabeth chains Jack to the ship and on, is really the only part of this I ever wanted to write. I got the idea after seeing the second movie and was curious to see if I could write it the way I saw it. But then I started thinking that if I were to write it and post it, it wouldn't make much sense without any kind of back story or description of what led up to it. So I started the story. I'd like to give a big thank you to everyone who reviewed, you've all been very nice and I hope you enjoy.

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How it had come to this, she wasn't sure.

Even with the sense of dread she had felt on the way back to the Pearl, she never could have guessed the massacre that awaited them.

Jack didn't have the heart after all, and Davy Jones sent his pet beastie after them.

They were surrounded by a eerie silence. Not even when the tentacles were seen slithering up the side of the ship was there a sound to be heard except for Will giving the order to hold fire. Then with a bang cannons fired, bullets pieced flesh. A horrible screech emitted from the beast as it was wounded.

She thought they might just be in the clear when the beast emerged again, angrier and more powerful it seemed. Bodies and timber were flying everywhere. When one of the tentacles came crashing through the Captain's Quarters and latched around one of Elizabeth's legs, pulling her back with it, she was the one to dive for the girl's hand, holding on as tight as she could before Pintel and Ragetti came with axes to chop off the tentacle.

She would never in her life forget the fear that crept up her spine as she realized that after all of this, everything they had been through on this journey, Jack chose to take the coward's way out and flee the ship, on his own. Or the joy and relief she felt when he returned for them.

As Helena looked around her, smoke filling the air, debris scattered everywhere, the thing that broke her heart the most was the sight of Jack saying his final goodbyes to the ship, _his_ ship.

She walked over to him and laid a hand on his shoulder. He turned to look at her and although he tried to hide it, she could see the sadness in his eyes. She desperately wished there was something she could say, something that would comfort him, but she had no words to give.

Sensing her struggle, Jack repeated the words he had told to Gibbs only a few minutes before. "She's only a ship love."

She knew he was trying to convince himself more than her, but she said nothing and just nodded. She swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat. "We should get going."

"Aye, be there in a minute."

She gave his shoulder one more squeeze, trying to give him some sort of reassurance before she headed to the long boat where everyone was loading in.

She seen Elizabeth pass her and head for Jack but just let them be. If they needed a moment she wouldn't intrude on that.

She took Will's offered hand with a small smile and lowered herself in. She went to offer her hand in return as Will climbed in so he could steady himself when suddenly his entire body stiffened and his face went pale. She furrowed her eyebrows and looked to see what had him so spooked and she too froze in her place.

Elizabeth. Kissing Jack.

Will turned and took a seat when Gibbs told him to get moving and prepare to cast off. But Helena kept watching. Amazed at what she was seeing, and stunned when she saw what Will missed.

Elizabeth had chained Jack to the mast. She was sacrificing him to save the rest of them.

Her world went in slow motion for a moment as she watched Elizabeth walking over to the boat and nearly lost her balance when her mind started working again. In a flash she leapt over Will and started climbing back over the railing, much to the protest of everyone else. As her boots hit the wood of the deck, she came face to face with Elizabeth. She wanted to kill her. Wanted to ask how could she do it? How could she leave Jack to die like that, but the look in her eyes told her everything.

She was heart broken. She was disgusted by her actions. But it was the only way. It was the only way to escape. The only way they would have a fighting chance. The only way to save Will. And in that moment, Helena understood. Just like Elizabeth understood why Helena had to go to Jack. Because with all the hurt and betrayal she felt for him, she still loved him. He was her brother. And Will was her finance. They were one, standing by the men in their lives to the very end.

As Elizabeth got into the boat Helena ran to Jack as he was frantically trying to break free of the chains. "Jack."

He turned and looked at her, shocked that she was even there before his eyes went dark. "Get back into the boat."

"No."

"I'm not playin' with you Helena. This is no place for ye, now get back into the boat!"

But Helena was holding her ground. This was one thing he was not going to bully her into. "I said no."

Jack turned to her again with a growl. "Dammit Helena! As yer older brother, I'm not askin' you I'm tellin' you to get back into..."

But Helena cut him off before he could finish his demand. "No, Jack! I'm no' leavin' you! You never leave your family!" She all but screamed in his face.

Jack was furious. Furious that he was here. Furious that his ship was about to be taken away from him yet again. And furious that this girl in front of him refused to listen to him. He racked his brain for some kind of way to make her get to the boat before the others were too far away when the full realization of what she said finally hit him.

_You never leave you family._

No matter how much of a pain they are, no matter how much you can't stand them, they're still your family and you don't leave them. And that was exactly what he had done. Left her to fend for herself.

He looked her in the eye and could see all the pain he had caused her. She didn't deserve it and he didn't deserve a sister who was willing to risk her life to save him. He dropped his head in shame. "I'm...sorry."

Helena watched him intently. Watched as his face had softened. Watched as the guilt washed over him. She knew he wasn't lying. For the first time in who knows when, he was telling the truth. "I forgive you."

Jack looked at her gratefully. "Good." They both stood there for a few moments before his eyes started darting back to his hand a bit nervously. He looked back to her and shook his hand so she could hear the jingle. "Now get me out!"

Helena jumped. "Oh! Right!" She looked around for something she could use when her eyes landed on a lantern that still had some oil in it. She grabbed it and brought it over to Jack. "This?"

He nodded. "Try it."

She broke it over the mast and watched as the thick oil dripped down and onto Jack's hand. They both then proceeded to try and set his hand free and finally his hand slipped out. They were just about to celebrate when they heard the familiar slithering sound and turned to see the Kraken rising over the ship. With a thunderous roar, it's mouth opened and showered them in a thick slime. When the last of it had come out, they both wiped their faces, trying to get some of the saliva off of them.

"Not so bad." Jack muttered.

"Speak for yourself." She bent over and picked up the hat that the Kraken had spit out and handed it to her brother.

"Oh, thank you." He took it from her and placed it on his head. He then grabbed her hand and held it tight and looked at her questioning. "Ready?"

She looked back at him, still scared out of her mind, but feeling more comforted knowing she finally had her big brother back to protect her. "As I'll ever be."

He shot her one of his signature smirks and nodded. He took out his sword and looked at the Kraken dead on.

"Hello beastie."


End file.
